Journey from the Starting Line
Disclaimer: Dinosaur King is owned by Sunrise, Shout Factory, 4kidsTV, and any other company I missed. I own nothing
"Talking"
Thinking
"Flashback"
DK
The war continues as it has for over a year.
Many have been saved, but there are still many left.
A great evil has fallen, but his legacy continues.
But what I fear most is the unstableness of the world.
I can only hope that it is all resolved before he is released.
Good luck, D-Team. You're going to need it if you ever face him.
My brother.
(Intro Theme)
Max stood tall as he stared down his opponent. Well, actually it was more his opponent was starting down him since his opponent was Seth, only he was much larger and surrounded by fire. "Your tyranny ends now, Seth!" Max told his opponent.
"Hahaha!" Seth laughed in response. "Foolish boy, you have no idea who you are up against!"
"I could say the same about you!" Max said as he pulled out his Dino Holder.
"Max."
"DINO-
"Max!"
"SLASH!"
"Max Taylor, wake up!" A voice yelled out of nowhere, causing make to miss his swipe and face plant into the ground.
"Ugh." The brunette groaned as he got back up, only to notice that he was in a classroom. "What?"
"Well, look who decided to rejoin us." Looking behind himself, Max saw Michelle looking very ticked at him. "Hope you had a nice nap, sleepyhead, because your gonna need it when you tell the whole class what I just said for the past hour that you were sleeping!"
"What?!" Max exclaimed, falling out of his desk. "But it's not even my fault! I didn't get enough sleep last night!"
"Oh, and how is that not your fault?" Michelle asked him as she crossed her arms.
"Because we had a battle with the Alpha Gang late last night that took longer than normal." Max explained. "They would've tore apart the whole Mega Mall if we hadn't stepped in."
"Oh, this again?!" Michelle threw her head back in frustration. "You think I care what those Alpha Jerks are doing!? You're a student, not some superhero!"
Before Max could retort, the loud speaker went on. "Will Max Taylor please make his way to the park." The principal of the school said. "It's another Code A. The rest of the team has been informed and are on their way. I repeat, will Max Taylor please make his way to the park. It's a Code A."
Max gave a mental sigh of relief when he heard those words, not having to listein to Michelle's nagging anymore. "Well." He laughed nervously. "It seems that I'm needed elsewhere. I should better get going."
The brunette tried to slip out of the room, but Michelle blocked the door. "Oh, no you don't! I am not having you skip another class just because you think you're so special!"
Max didn't really listen to her tantrum and just slipped under her arms. "You know, I'm sure the principal would love to hear how you're holding me back from protecting people. Because I'm pretty sure he's still upset about the cave incident and would gladly fire you for this." He said before quickly bursting out of the school.
DK
In another part of town, Chomp and Terry were looking at a new game being shown on a TV inside a store. "So that's the new game everyone's going crazy over." Terry said.
"They say millions have died just to get their hands on a copy." Chomp said.
"Jesus." Terry gasped. "Must be really good if people go that far to get a copy."
"Yeah." Chomp agreed as they looked at the game in silence. "You wanna buy it?"
"Heck yeah!" Terry agreed. "But there's a problem with that."
"What's the problem?"
"We don't have money." Terry reminded him.
"Well, have you considered getting a job?" Chomp asked.
"Oh, yeah. Let me get right on that. I'm sure there are many places looking to hiring a Tyrannosaurus." Terry replied sarcastically.
"Have you looked?"
"Why should I? Who would hire a dinosaur?" Terry asked his brother.
"Maybe you should look for jobs that aren't looking for dinosaurs, but instead other qualities of yours." The Triceratops suggested. "That's how some of the others found their jobs."
As Terry looked down in thought, Rex sped past them on a bike. "What was that all about?" Terry wondered.
"I'm pretty sure that was the King." Chomp said. "And he looked to be in a hurry."
Both of them knew immediately what this meant. "Looks like it's another one of those days again." Terry said as they ran after him.
DK
At the park, the Alpha Gang were sitting by some benches, waiting for their opponents to arrive. "Ugh." Ursula groaned in frustration as she did her nails. "What's taking those brats so long?"
"Well, it's possible they don't even know we're here since all we did this time was light some fireworks saying 'We're the Alpha Gang.'" Ed reminded her.
"I don't get why we used pyrotechnics instead of letting our dinosaurs rampage." Zander said. "That would've gotten their attention."
"Because those brats wait for our dinos to tire themselves out while rampaging and swoop in for an easy victory." Urusla reminded them of Dr.Z's theory for their constant failures. "Besides, it allows me to take care of this stupid hangnail."
Across the park, Max stopped his bike as he waited for the Alpha Gang to make their move. "Max!" Turning his head, Max saw Rex pull up with Ace. "I only had time to grab Ace. Were you able to find Terry and Chomp?"
"Ehehe." Max chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "It all happened so fast I forgot to look for them." This earned him two groans and facepalms.
"No need to worry about that!" Terry called out as he and Chomp caught up with them, panting heavily from chasing after Rex. "We saw your bike and were able to put two and two together very quickly."
"Hey, boys!" Zoe called out as she pulled up on her own bike with Paris. "Lovely morning for a fight, isn't it?"
"Better than in the middle of the night." Ace yawned. "Maybe I should've let Beta come instead of me."
"So that just leaves Spiny and Tank." Max said.
Right when he said that, a delivery truck quickly pulled up next to them and tossed them a package before driving away in less than a minute. The top of the box started to bulge before it opened up, revealing Spiny and a very sick looking Tank. "The cavalry has arrived!" Spiny announced.
"Never again." Tank growled as she whacked Spiny on the head with her tail. They may be a couple now, but that didn't mean that Spiny's stupidity didn't earn him whacks from time to time.
"Why did you literally ship yourselves?" Chomp asked them, confused by both Spiny's choice and Tank's decision to go along with it.
"I'll tell you when you're older, Chompy." Spiny told the Triceratops.
"But I'm older than you." Chomp reminded the Spinosaurus.
"You'd better not be mentioning me!" Ursula yelled when she heard the word old mentioned.
"Ursula, it's not always about you." Zander told her. "I'd say the joke's getting old, but I know where that would lead." His point was proven right when Ursula punched him in the gut.
"Then maybe you should keep it in your head next time." Ursula glared at him before tossing the two men Alpha Scanners. "Now, patch up that gut. We've got work to do."
"ALPHA SLASH!"
Once the glow faded from their scanners, Brontikens appeared with Gigas, Maximus, and Armatus at his side.
"Show time." Max smiled as he got out his Dino Holder and recalled Chomp and Terry.
"DINO SLASH! FLAME UP, TYRANNOSAURUS! GO, TRICERATOPS! ROAR!"
Rex and Zoe wasted no time in following suit.
"DINO SLASH! CARNOTAURUS, BLOW THEM AWAY! SHAKE 'EM UP, SAICHANIA!"
"DINO SLASH! PARASAUROLOPHUS, BLOOM! GUSH OUT, SPINOSAURUS!"
Once all the players appeared, the park changed to a Time Warp, just like the last time they fought there.
From the sidelines, crowds of people gathered, holding up signs to cheer their favorite dinosaurs as the battle began. These battles had become such a normality it was almost not a danger to watch them in person, provided you keep your distance.
Chomp went straight for Brontikens, only for the Apatosaurus to knock him away with his neck. But this left it open for Terry to grab onto. Gigas found himself on the receiving end of both Paris' loud call from her cone and attacks from Tank. The Saichania somehow unaffected by the noise. Maximus kept charging at Ace, with the Carnotaurus dodging every one of her attacks. And Spiny simply charged at Armatus and knocked him out of the way.
Ed quickly swiped a Move Card and the Stegosaurus was back on his feet. "Spectral Stinger!"
Crystals formed on the Stegosaur's back and were fired at Spiny. "How 'bout I counter with Water Sword!" Zoe said as she activated her Move Card.
A large sword of water appeared out of Spiny's mouth and sliced all the crystals in half. "Tank, did you see me do that?!" Spiny asked his girlfriend, excited to hear her approval.
"Yes, Spiny, that was a very good trick." Tank said as she continued hitting Gigas with her head.
"Doh! Tank, you weren't watching!" Spiny complained.
"I was-"
"Can you at least see me kill Armatus?"
"Wait, what'd you mean by that?" Armatus asked nervously, slowly backing away in fear from the larger carnivore. He got his answer with Spiny swinging his sword at him and slashing him with water. "Thank god that's what he meant." Armatus said before he collapsed and returned to his card.
Across from Spiny, Ace was blocking Maximus' horns with his tail, leaving them in a struggle. "You fell right into my trap, brat!" Zander told Rex as he got his Move Card. "Spectral Punisher!"
But Rex was expecting something like that. "I didn't just become King because my good looks. Cyclone!"
A tornado formed around Ace and distracted Maximus from using her attack. The Carnotaurus used the opportunity to grab her by the tail and spin her around. "100 degrees, and fire!" He said as he let the Triceratops go. The reason for this specific calculation was because when Maximus fired her attack it went straight through the Alpha Craft the trio used to get there before she landed on it, ensuring its destruction and her carding.
"That was a nice trick, boys." Tank told them. "But we can do better."
Rex took the hint and activated Tank's Move Card. "Dino Swing!"
As Tank began to charge forward, Ursula saw an opportunity. "I don't think so! Spectral Lancer!"
Lancers appeared from Gigas' sides as he went for Tank. "Once again, saw this coming." Rex said as Tank moved out of the way and started swinging Gigas around by the tail.
"He's all yours, Paris!" Tank called out to her friend.
"Go, Emerald Garden!" Zoe announced as she activated Paris' new Move Card. A green ball of energy started to form from Paris' mouth before she fired it at Gigas, hitting him just as he landed and zapping away all his remaining energy, defeating him.
This once again left Brontikens as the last one standing. "Seems it's all up to me, again." Brontikens said as Ursula activated Spectral Destroy.
"You know we both wouldn't have it any other way." Terry said as Max activated his new Magma Blaster Move.
Magma gathered up his mouth before he fired it in the form of a beam at the blinding laser Brontikens fired. Under normal circumstances, Brontikens' attack would engulf Terry's. But Terry isn't like the others. He's much stronger.
The attack cut straight through the beam, keeping Terry safe from the blast and striking Brontikens on the head, but barely hurt him. "And now for the finishing touch!" Max said as he got out another Move Card. "Final Thunder!"
For the first time since Las Vegas, Chomp went for Brontikens and knocked the sauropod onto the ground before using all his might to lift him off the ground and toss him slightly into the air, allowing him to paralyze him with a lightning strike before attacking him with an arc of bolts. Brontikens landed on the ground with a loud thud and was defeated.
Seeing that the battle was over and their ride was destroyed, the Alpha Gang used the dust from the battle to gather their cards since they lost the Grappling Claw. But as soon as they gathered them all, the dust cleared to reveal the D-Team dinosaurs looking down at them. The trio cowered in fear as Terry opened his mouth on top of them. "Uh-um." Zander stuttered. "Toodles!" He waved before they all ran away as fast as they could.
Once they were gone, the crowd watching the battle cheered and ran down towards the team. "Brace yourselves." Rex groaned as he knew what was coming. Paparazzi.
Well, paparazzi wasn't the right term for this crowd. More like excited fans. Once they reached the D-Team, they started showering their favorite dinosaurs with pictures, questions, and requests for autographs and photos together. Max and Zoe had a few ask them for autographs while Rex was struggling to escape from the constant fan girls that were asking him out on dates. "Hey, cutie."
"That was so hot how you bested that jerk!"
"Will you go out with me?"
"Back off! He's mine!"
"Guys, a little help here." Rex said to his friends as he tried to keep some of the girls hands off.
"Ha, ha! Sorry, Rex, but you did say that your looks are a reason you became King!" Max laughed, knowing he couldn't help him even if he wanted to.
Rex just groaned as he continued to be drowned in females. That is until Tank scared them off. "Enough with the flirting!" She yelled at the fangirls. "You're giving fans a bad name!" She told them before going back to her own fans. "Now, who was next?" She asked as her fans raised many pieces of metal for her to smash. It was basically her form of an autograph.
"Thank you, Tank." Rex said as he dusted himself off. Despite now being a king, he still wasn't someone who liked a lot of attention, especially up in his face.
As Max and Zoe chuckled, a little kid walked up to them. "Um, excuse me. I have a question."
"Oh, yeah? What is it, kid?" Max asked back.
"I remember that there were two other kids that used to be your enemies that helped you save the city. Rod and Laura, I think their names were. What happened to them?"
"That's an easy one. They went back home." Max told the kid.
"Home?"
"Yep. Back home to the future." Max said as he recalled their farewell.
The kids all stood next to the Space Pirates' ship as it prepared for time travel. "I can't believe we're actually going to see Mom and Dad again!" Laura said with excitement.
"It's like a dream come true." Rod said right before Max pinched him on the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
"Making sure you weren't dreaming." Max smiled. "We're sure gonna miss you guys."
"We may have had a rocky start, but I'm glad we could all become friends." Zoe said.
"See ya guys around." Rex said.
"Thanks." Rod said before giving Max a playful punch on the shoulder. "Make sure you keep up with your math homework." He joked as the ship began to rise. "Bye, guys!" The two of them waved as they were teleported onto the ship. Once they were in, the ship opened up the Time Vortex and went through.
"Do you think they'll come back?" The kid asked.
"I'm sure they will."
DK
Once they were done with their fans, the kids parted with their dinos and started heading back to school. They decided to take the long way back to see how things have changed since the attack three months ago.
Looking around the city, they could see their dinosaur friends among the crowds, living normal lives. And the people showed no difference in their routines with the exceptions of those interacting with the dinosaurs. Rather it be because they were friends, like Rocko who was hanging out with some jocks, or as part of their jobs like Sushi who working at the aquarium for reasons that encouraged Marlin to do the same, for her sake.
"Things sure have changed haven't they?" Zoe said.
"That's for sure." Max agreed. "And it's all thanks to His Majesty." The brunette gave Rex a playful nudge.
"Stop it, Max." Rex groaned in embarrassment before returning the nudge.
"Oh, stop being so modest, Rex. You've done a great job as King." Zoe told him.
"That's for sure. You've found a place here for everyone." Max told him.
Right after he said that, Rex looked down in sadness. "Not everyone." He corrected them. "There's still one left."
Max and Zoe looked at him with confusion before realizing who he was talking about and frowned. "Oh, right. Torch." Max remembered.
"It's been three months and he still refuses to join the rest of the herd." Rex said.
"It's been a while since you've talked to him. Maybe you could swing by the lab after school and see if he'll change his mind this time." Zoe suggested.
"Perhaps." Rex replied, but not sounding very optimistic.
DK
At Zeta Point, the sun's rays were starting to slowly creep away from the hidden time machine to make way for the night. In their quarters, the dinosaurs that weren't apart of the plan earlier that day were preparing for a night's rest. In one of the rooms, the Clone Megalosaurus laid on the floor with the door still open, waiting for someone to return. Specifically Pyro; her new mate.
No one knows how it exactly happened, but it seemed that during the English lessons given by Pyro and the Clone Megaraptor, or The Professor as he is now called, the two of them seemed to click together with their violent nature and love for destruction. This helped boost her position of power amongst the pack of clones, only Pyro and The Professor higher than her, but that last one was easily subject to change.
This made her feared by the others of the pack. Well, most of them. "Hey, gorgeous!" The Clone Carcharodontosaurus said as he strut over to her.
"Damn it." She hissed as she closed her eyes. "Just ignore it and it'll go away. Ignore and it'll go away."
"I see Pyro's not here to keep you company." The Clone Carcharodontosaurus said as he started to rub himself against her. "You know, if you're feeling lonely, Yeager, I'd be happy to-"
He was cut off as Yeager gave a vicious roar and grabbed the Clone Carcharodontosaurus by the neck. "If I have to tell you to back off one more time you're dead. And we both know my threats aren't bluff." She threatened the clone, bitting down on his neck with every word. "Do I make myself clear, Fang?"
"Mmmhmmm!" Fang whimpered like a wounded dog and hastily nodded in response, letting Yeager know she got the message across.
"Good boy. Now get lost." After she tossed him aside, Fang wasted no time in scampering back to his sleeping quarters like a dog. He could only hope Pyro doesn't find out.
Across from them, Bailey, the Clone Baryonyx, watched the scene in amusement. "Hehe. Idiots." She chuckled to herself.
"Whatcha laughing about?" Her roommate asked, killing the mod.
"Nothing important, you filthy mole." She grumbled as she laid her head down to sleep.
"Bailey, can you close the door? The light hurts my eyes." Thud, the Clone Ankylosaurus, asked as he laid on his back.
"And have you suffocate me with your stench? I'd rather jump off Niagara Falls. At least I'd possibly survive that." Bailey mumbled as she shifted her head's position on the floor. "Why did I have to get stuck with you of all people as a roommate?"
"Everybody else was taken." Thud reminded her.
"It was a rhetorical question, pea-brain." Bailey growled.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The Professor said as he approached them.
"What is it this time, Professor?" Bailey asked as she lazily lifted her head up, getting annoyed with all the interruptions.
The Clone Megaraptor's eye twitched at her remark. "The Professor. It's 'The' Professor." He emphasized.
"Whatever. What'd you want?" Bailey asked as she rolled onto her side.
"I've come to inform the two of you that Pyro's calling a meeting at midnight, two nights from now. And he wants the whole pack there. No exceptions."
"'Yawn.' Tell him I'll be there." Bailey said. "And I'll bring the useless lug with me, too."
"Good." The Professor nodded before taking his leave, allowing Bailey to finally get some sleep. At least, she hopped she would get some.
"Bailey, can you scratch my bu-"
"No!"
DK
Later that night, the residents of the Taylor Household were all having dinner together. While Max and Spike wolfed down their food, Terry and Chomp were reading the newspaper to look for jobs and Rex barely touched his. "Rex, eat your food before it gets cold." Aki told him as she walked past them.
Rex just grumbled something in response, continuing to play around with his meatloaf. Max and his dad looked at each other before Spike cleared his throat. "So, Rex, how did it go with Torch?"
"Dad!" Max hissed at his father. "Not now!"
"It's fine, Max." Rex assured his friend. "I shouldn't have been so obvious about it."
"I'm judging by your tone that it didn't go well." Max said, deciding to get straight to the point.
"More impossible." Rex said as he recalled their talk.
True to his word, Rex went straight for the D-Lab after school. It was a lot quieter than it used to be. The only dinosaur in the sanctuary was Trooper, who really enjoyed the solitude he had until the others returned to sleep.
The blonde king walked past the large window that looked into the sanctuary from the observation deck until he arrived at a large steel door. With the press of a button, the door opened up to reveal a dark room. As Rex walked in, the door closed behind him, further dimming the room. Breathing heavily to ease his nerves, Rex slowly walked forward until he came across a large cell.
The little light in the room showed tooth and claw marks all over the walls and bars, along with the remains of the prisoner's meals. Giving a heavy sigh, Rex banged on the bars three times. "Anyone home?"
"What'd you think?" Torch replied from inside. Two eyes appeared from the darkness and looked directly at him.
"Hello, Torch." Rex greeted the Saurophaganax. "I hope you're doing well."
"I believe we've already done this comedy routine. I say something back, then you ask me to join you and your friends. Just save me the bother and leave me alone to rot." Torch huffed.
"Torch, I hate seeing you in here."
"Then why'd you put me in this cage to begin with?"
"I had no choice!"
"I'm pretty sure you did. And what you chose was to put me in a cell like a common criminal and then ask if we could be friends. Now, if Seth were here he'd allow me to be free, regardless of my choice."
"Seth was evil!"
"Seth wanted what was best for us! And you killed him because he thought differently!
Rex wanted to retort with something, but he knew it was pointless. Sighing in defeat, he walked back to the door and left the room. "Don't bother coming back!" Torch told the king.
"I think I see the problem." Spike said once the flashback was over. "You're being too passive with him."
"Passive?" Rex repeated in confusion.
"I think what Dad means is that you're letting him push you around too much." Max clarified.
"Exactly! You're the king, not him. You shouldn't be letting one measly dinosaur tell you what to do." Spike explained. "As a leader, you need to show your subjects your strength. Make him realize that he doesn't have a say in the matter."
"Dad..."
"Yeah, that last bit's too much. But you understand what I'm saying, right?"
"I guess." Rex shrugged before looking down to Chomp and Terry. "What'd you guys think?"
"Huh?" Terry said as they continued job searching. "Oh, yeah. Go for it." He told him, clearly not listening. "How about doctors?"
"How are we supposed to get into medical school without money?" Chomp reminded his brother. "Maybe hotel cleaners."
"You know you can't be trusted alone in a bedroom after you ripped up Aki's pillows the other night."
"It was one time!"
"Not from what I remember." Terry said as he continued reading. "Wait, this is perfect. I know what we can do."
Chomp looked at what Terry was pointing at before looking at the Tyrannosaurus puzzled. "Are you sure they'd hire us?"
"They look pretty desperate. Besides, I'm sure they'll love us."
DK
"I'm not going to fight you on that, Bro. But teachers?" Chomp said as they looked at the school they saw in the newspaper.
"What? Come on, Bro, you're great with kids." Terry said.
"That's more your thing." Chomp reminded him. "And just because Pawpaw sees you as an uncle doesn't automatically mean you're great with human kids."
"Well, you never know unless you try." Terry said confidently.
"And another thing, why are we full-size?" Chomp asked, looking at himself and Terry.
"We need to look out best. You know, for first impressions." Terry explained.
"Pretty sure we also need to fit through the door." Chomp pointed out.
"Doors are overrated." Terry said in response. "Let's go. The kids are waiting for us."
"Shouldn't we be interviewed first?" Chomp asked.
"What for? Everyone knows who we are." Terry pointed out.
"Yeah, they know us because of our countless battles. I don't think we automatically get a job because of our popularity."
"And I'm inclined to agree with him." A man said as he walked over to the two dinosaurs. "Greetings, boys, I'm glad you both you make it. I would ask that you come to my office, but I doubt that'll work. So we'll discuss everything in the gymnasium. And don't worry about the doors, they should be large enough for you to squeeze through."
"Even after all this time we still don't know how we fit through the D-Lab's door." Chomp joked as the followed the principal, earning a laugh from the other two.
DK
The door to the cells opened once again as Rex walked through. Unlike the last time, he walked with clear authority in his step, not showing the slightest bit of fear or hesitation. "Torch!" Rex shouted as he stomped over to the Saurophaganax.
Torch's eyes snapped open in surprise at the blonde's tone. "Jeez, it's only me in here. No need to shout!" He shouted back.
"Silence!" Rex replied once he reached the cell. "The King speaks!"
"Oh. I didn't realize this was so important." Torch mocked, pretending to be surprised. "Please tell me what's on your mind."
"You'd better watch your tongue." Rex snapped. "Now, I'm going to give you two choices. You can either join us or stay in here for the rest of your life."
"Weren't those already my only choices?"
"Not this time. It's either obey your king or pay the price for treason." Rex told him sternly.
"Pay the price for treason." Torch repeated before laughing. "Ha! And, I'm assuming you're going to pass down that judgement?"
"You dare mock the King!?"
"King? You would be cowering before me if those bars weren't there. You're no king! You're just some dumb kid who got lucky."
Rex's face became red with fury. "I am the King! You will do as I say, or else!" He hit one of the bars, not even slightly denting it, and ignored the pain that came with it. "Have you no respect for the crown my father wore? The man who saved your life!"
"The dinosaurs of the Jurassic didn't need saving. We were millions of years away from the asteroid when our kinds went extinct." Torch explained. "And besides, your father was a fool."
This proved to be the breaking point. "What did you say?" Rex growled, tightly gripping the bars.
"He was a fool to not have seen what Seth did coming. Seth was ten times the king your father was."
"SETH WAS A HEARTLESS TYRANT!" Rex screamed.
"And you're doing such a good job at proving me wrong." Torch said. "I guess it runs in the family."
"IF THAT'S HOW YOU WANT IT TO BE, THEN FINE! I'M DONE WASTING MY TIME WITH YOU! STAY IN HERE AND ROT FOR ALL I CARE! I'LL EVEN STOP GIVING YOU FOOD AS A FINAL GIFT OF GENEROSITY!" With that, Rex stormed off in a huff.
"Good, it tasted terrible anyway! I'd rather starve!" Torch roared back as Rex left.
Walking through the control room, Rex found himself saying this thoughts aloud in all the rage. "Who does that oversized Allosaurus think he is? Did he have any idea on who he was yelling at? Does not not understand that my word is law?"
He continued on walking until he stopped near the window of the sanctuary. "If only he died in that battle. Then I wouldn't even be in this mess." He looked out the window to the sanctuary. But he noticed his reflection and gasped in horror. In the place where his reflection should be was Seth, looking very smug.
Quickly turning around, Rex saw that no one was there. He looked back at his reflection and saw that it had change, but not for the better. In the place of Seth was himself, dressed exactly like Seth, giving the same wicked smile.
Rex shook his head, trying to erase the illusion from his mind. The reflection held up a skull of a theropod Rex could only assume was a Saurophaganax before it faded away and was replaced by Rex's horrified face. "Torch was right. What have I done?"
DK
"Did you hear about our new teachers?" A student asked another as they went to the field for gym class.
"No, what's so special about them?"
"Apparently they're dinosaurs." Another kid said, earning surprised gasps from those that didn't know.
"Really!? Did they say which ones?"
"I'll bet it's Toro and Lola!
"Aren't they busy training new recruits at the police academy?"
"I hope it's Spiny and Tank!"
"Yeah, they're funny!"
"Ace and Beta would be nice."
Eventually the kids reached their destination and saw Terry and Chomp waiting for them, with a clip board at Chomp's feet. "Hey, kids!" Terry greeted them. "Ready for some fitness?"
The kids gasped when they saw their teachers. "Terry and Chomp!" They all exclaimed.
"That's right!" Terry said proudly. "And we're going to have some fun today! Chomp, tell them what activities we have planned today."
Chomp flipped the clipboard into the air and grabbed it with one of his horns. "Says here that we're doing a pacer test today."
The kids groaned in annoyance. "Not that test."
"I can never meet the requirements."
Terry noticed the kid's destress and acted quickly. "Oh, don't worry about that stupid test." Terry assured them. "I've got a much better idea in mind."
"Bro, you can't just change the scheduled activities like that." Chomp reminded him.
"I can for the kid's sake." Terry said. "Because we're going to get those scores in an obstacle course." He said before moving out of the way to reveal the course he built.
"Yeah!" The kids cheered, liking this way more than the pacer test.
Chomp was just confused at what he was seeing. "When did you make this?"
"It was while you were talking with the principal. I noticed these things lying around and decided to put them to so use." Terry explained.
"And you built this all by yourself?"
"Not exactly." Terry said sheepishly before Salty and his friends walked over to him, wearing hard hats.
"You realize we're still going to charge you for this." Coal reminded the Tyrannosaurus. "Who hires inexperienced workers for construction?"
"Well, we are the Awesome Team." Salty reminded his female friends.
"That doesn't change the fact that you owe us for this." Utah told Terry sternly. "We has to use Salty's head as a hammer."
"It's not like it hurt or anything." Salty said as they started to leave.
"My point still stands." Utah said to the Saltasaurus. "And stop calling us the Awesome Team. It's not cool, it's cringe worthy."
DK
As the sun began to set once again, Victor, Veloci, and Vincent were waiting outside a fancy restaurant, all wearing small tuxedos with bow ties. "I sure hope the girls didn't change their minds." Victor said as he paced around.
"Well, we are a bit early. And girls do take a while to get ready." Veloci pointed out.
"I'm pretty sure that's sexist." Vincent told him.
"It's not sexist if it's true."
"Quiet!" Victor snapped at them. "This is our first date with the Deinonychus and I don't want you two messing this up for me and Dino!"
"You're not the only one who's trying to impress them." Vincent reminded their leader, referring to his relationship with Sue and Veloci's with Danno.
"Look, just don't start fighting with each other. I don't need to be kicked out under the pretenses that we're wild animals." Victor said as he resumed his pacing. Eventually they heard someone approaching. "Is that them?"
Veloci listened more closely to the footsteps. "No, it's a human." Before he noticed that it was Rex running towards them. "It's the King!" He gasped.
Once Rex came to a stop, the three raptors bowed. "Greetings, Your Majesty." Victor said to the king before they got back up. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"I need to talk to you three." Rex answered. "It's about Torch."
The trio looked at each other grimly before looking back at Rex. "What about him?" Vincent asked.
"I need to know what happened while he was with Seth."
DK
Back in the cells, Torch was chewing on a left over bone from one of his meals. Just because he was going to have a slow and painful death doesn't mean it had to be boring.
That feeling changed when the door to the cells opened again. "Ugh." Torch groaned as he knew what was coming. "Can't keep to your own words, can you?" He said to Rex. The blonde said nothing in reply. Torch was about to say something again, but was silenced when Rex tossed a piece of meat into the cell. "W-what?"
"I'm sorry." Rex finally spoke up. "I've been treating you horribly and I have no excuse for my actions. I may be wearing a crown, but all that does is give me the position of King. And I should not... no, cannot force you to do as I say. Or else I'm becoming just as bad as Seth."
"What's with the sudden shift in tone?" Torch genuinely asked. "It's starting to scare me."
"I'm asking for one last chance to convince you. I've brought Victor and the others to share with you something you might want to know before you make your final decision." Rex explained as the trio walked over to him. "They'll speak and then I'll come back first thing tomorrow to hear your final decision. If it's still no, I'll give your card back to the Alpha Gang next time we meet." With that, the king took his leave.
Torch watched him go before turning to the Velociraptors, a glare returning to his eyes. "What do you three have to say? I doubt the words of three traitors will carry much weight."
The Velociraptors ignored him and began to speak. "Torch, Seth may have came off like he wished for the better of dinosaur kind, but that was nothing but lies." Victor said.
"How would you know?" Torch asked them. "You were never around him."
"Oh, we were around him plenty." Veloci growled at the memory of that man. "All we did while on that island was writhe in agony in the test tubes he threw us in."
"He had no choice. You would've lost your powers." Torch retorted.
Instead of verbally replying, the trio glowed their respective colors before they slipped through the bars, latched themselves onto Torch, and slammed him against the top of the cell before dropping him on the floor. "We haven't been in that tube for months, and our powers are still as strong as ever." Victor told the Saurophaganax. "Maybe even stronger."
Torch's eye's widened at what he just witnessed. "Well... that wouldn't have happened unless you were in those tubes." He retorted. "Besides, what else was he supposed to do with you three? We couldn't have possible traitors running around."
"Perhaps." Victor had to agree to some extent. "But you talk like he cared deeply about you." He pointed out.
"Of course he did." Torch answered, offended at them suggesting otherwise.
"That was nothing more than an act of his." Victor shook his head. "The only thing he cared about regarding you were the results of your training."
"What training?" Torch asked.
"The training to master Fire Scorcher." Victor said. "You were Seth's guinea pig in the project."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Torch said, starting to sound distraught. "I never did anything with the Move aside from the times in Siberia and in the invasion. Gigas was the one he was testing the Move on."
"And where were you during those test?" Vincent asked.
"Sleeping." Torch replied. "I'm a heavy sleeper. I usually don't get up 'till about noon."
"And what did you after you woke up?" Veloci asked.
"I would go report to Seth. There he would tell me what I missed while I was asleep. Usually the results of his experiments."
"Do you remember anything else?" Vincent asked.
Torch shook his head. "No. Why do you care about my daily routine?"
"Because that's not how it happened." Victor shook his head in grief for what he was about to say. "The reason you always woke up so late was because you were recovering from training earlier that day. You were actually up before the sun rose, as part of Seth's instructions. You just kept forgetting afterwards until the next morning when Seth approached you and suggested you practice what he had learned so far. That was all you did on that island: get pushed to the point of collapse and recover before you're used again, never knowing how you were living your own life." Torch looked like he was about to retort, but Victor said something. "And I remember Seth saying these exact words."
Seth and Pyro watched as Torch began charging up another Fire Scorcher. The large meteor started forming in the carnivore's mouth, slowly getting larger and larger. The three Velociraptors, who were allowed to witness the event, cowered under the tables when they saw the attack begin to take form.
When it looked like he was finally able to do it, Torch suddenly collapsed on the floor, the meteor disappearing from his mouth, and returned to his card, all while coughing badly.
Throughout the whole process, Seth's expression remained unchanged. "Well, that's just great." Pyro growled in annoyance. "26 attempts, and no success. Why'd you even bother with that thing?"
"Patience, my friend." Seth calmed his ally. "Torch might not be the most powerful dinosaur, but his loyalty makes him the perfect one for the project."
"What'd you mean by that?" The Acrocanthosaurus asked.
"Even though you and Gigas are much stronger than him, you're not the types to take part in such experiments. The end result of the experiment is a Move Card for you to use, so it'd be foolish to test it on you, especially one so powerful and energy consuming. And if Gigas was used, the Doctor might get suspicious."
"Why's that?" Victor spoke up.
Seth turned around and crouched down to the Velociraptor's level, causing them to shrink back in fear. "Besides the factor that Gigas will be very exhausted afterwards, it'd get me in a lot of trouble when Gigas dies."
"When?" The raptors repeated.
"Of course." Seth answered as he got back up and looked out the window to the training room. "Torch doesn't have the power inside him that you three have to evolve. He can get stronger, but that's it. So, he'll continue on being the blind guinea pig that he is until he finally drops dead." He said before giving a slight chuckle. "Hmmhmm. His stupidity is almost amusing."
When Victor finished, Torch's eyes had barely noticeable tears in them. "You're lying." He said quietly to the Velociraptor before raising his voice. "You're lying! He'd never have done that!" Though his words were the same as before, it was clear that they didn't carry the same weight.
Victor sighed, knowing better than to continue. "Believe what you want. I've said what was needed to be said." With that, he started to take his leave.
Veloci followed, but Vincent stopped them. "Victor, Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked the leader.
Victor paused for a bit before he caught onto what Vincent was referring to. "Ah, right. There's one more thing you should know, Torch." He called back to the Saurophaganax. "Rex wasn't the one that killed Seth. We did. More specifically, I was the one who gave the lethal bite to the throat." Not waiting to hear a response, the Velociraptors left Torch alone in the dark room.
DK
Later that night, the Velociraptors were able to go on their date with the Deinonychus sisters. Each of them were currently chatting with their respective date while they waited for their food to arrive. "I was almost starting to get worried you wouldn't show up." Victor said to Dino. "Even after we were delayed."
"Well, you know how girls are with looking good." Dino answered.
"I freaking told you, Vincent." Veloci said, Vincent responded by just rolling his eyes along with Sue while Danno just smacked him upside the head. "Ow!"
"So how did it go with Torch?" Dino asked Victor, having been told about their meeting when they arrived at the restaurant by the Velociraptor leader.
"We told him everything." Victor bluntly answered.
"And he still didn't budge?" She had already heard of the Saurophaganax's torture when learning about Victor's own time at Zeta Point.
"He didn't want to show it, but I think he did. Hopefully he changes his mind about leaving in the morning."
"I hope so. I'd hate to see him die because of someone else's lies."
"I feel the same way. But what makes you so sure he's gonna die?"
The Deinonychus leader lowered her gaze to the floor, almost ashamed at what she was about to say. "That's how it's going to have to be. We can't have dinosaurs that side with the Alpha Gang running around. Sooner or later we'd need a permanent solution in dealing with them."
Victor had a grim look in his eyes. While he hated to kill not for food, deep down he knew Dino was right. "Then I hope Torch isn't a part of that solution."
"So do I, Victor. So do I."
DK
All throughout the night, Torch tossed and turned in his cell. The words of both Rex and the Velociraptors kept on repeating themselves in his dreams. Especially when Victor told him of Seth's true intentions. "Ungh." He groaned in his sleep. "It's not real. It can't be true."
"Oh, but it is." A familiar voice said, causing Torch's eyes to snap open.
The Saurophaganax looked around frantically before he saw something glowing in the center of the cell. Squinting his eyes for a better look, Torch saw standing in the right in front of him was Seth. More appropriately, the ghost of Seth. "Seth?" Torch asked as he slowly walked towards his former master.
"Torch, I see you've survived this long." Seth said in reply.
"Is what the Velociraptors said true?" Torch asked, getting straight to the point. "Was I really nothing but your guinea pig?"
The ghost smiled. "Of course." He said as he started floating around Torch. "In a world of evolved dinosaurs, why would I want one that's normal? You can only get so much stronger once you're created. And that's what I've realized with the Velociraptors. But I still found use for your kind. And you've already figured out what that was."
The tears from before returned as Torch started growling, the claws on his foot scratching against the floor. "You said that what you were doing would benefit all dinosaurs!"
"Get with the times. I used you. It's kind of what I do." Seth said before laughing. "Mwhahaha!"
This was the last straw for Torch. He lunged at the ghost and started biting and slashing at him, with obviously no effect as the attacks went right through him. "I swore my loyalty to you! All those near death experiences I went through were for you! I've been rotting in here for you! Does that not mean anything to you?!"
The ghost once again smiled. "Oh, but of course. You allowed me to do this."
With the snap of his fingers, a large meteor appeared and started to descend down on Torch. "No." Torch gasped as he finally realized what it was like on the receiving end of that Move. "No!" He cried as the fire surrounded him just before the meteor made contact. "Noooo!" He cried again as the flames consumed his body.
"Noooo!" Torch's eyes snapped open as he saw that he was still lying down in his cell. Frantically looking around, he saw no signs of ghosts or fire. Just the darkness of the room. Panting heavily, Torch put his head back down and tried to get some sleep. He knew what he was going to say tomorrow.
DK
The first thing Rex did once he woke up was head for the D-Lab. While he did have faith in Victor and the others, the blonde knew better than to get his hopes up. If he was lucky, the Alpha Gang would attack today and he'll be able to give them the card back as soon as possible. The biggest question was if they'd take it or not.
The door to the cells opened up and he walked over to Torch's. "Torch?" Rex called out, but heard no response. "Torch?" Upon reaching his cell, Rex saw that the Saurophaganax was still heavily asleep. "Torch." He called out again, louder this time.
The theropod's eyes slowly opened and saw who was standing in front of him. "King Rex?" He gave out a loud yawn. "Is it morning already?"
"Yes, I came to see what you..." Rex stopped himself as he processed what Torch called him. "Did you just call me King?"
Torch said nothing and bowed. "I...I'm sorry." He choked out. "You were right all along about Seth. He was a monster. He cared nothing about me. And despite my stubbornness, you continued on reaching out for me. You wouldn't leave me in the dark."
Knowing that this wasn't a trick, Rex opened the door to the cell and allowed Torch to walk out. "I was just doing what any of us would've done."
"Perhaps, but they don't have the understanding for us that you do. I had wondered why your father would pick you to take his place as king, and now I see why. It's not because you're his son. It's because you see yourself not as a superior, but as an equal." Torch gave a mental smile. "You're going to make a great king."
"Thank you, Torch." Rex said as they exited the jail cells.
DK
Later that evening, Rex invited Torch over to the Taylor Household for dinner. The Saurophaganax was lying in the backyard while watching Terry and Chomp play their new game when Aki handed him his plate. "Here you go, Torch." Aki smiled.
"Thank you." Torch said before eating the meat on his plate.
"So it looks like my advice worked after all." Spike said proudly.
"Actually." Rex corrected him. "The exact opposite worked."
"You don't say?" Spike said. "I could've sworn that's what it would've took."
"Well, I'm not like other kings. They have kingdoms with land and people. All my kingdom has are its people." Rex said.
"True. And the other kings don't rule over dinosaurs." Max said before they all shared a laugh. "Hey, Chomp, Terry, how's the game coming?"
"We've spent hours trying to unlock all the characters, but we can't get that last one." Terry said as he mashed the buttons.
"We've been wanting this game for a long time so we know all the characters. But no matter what we do, we can't seem to unlock the last one!" Chomp said in frustration.
"Probably because it's DLC." Max told them.
"What does that mean?" Terry asked.
"It means you'll have to buy it." The brunette explained.
"Buy!?" The two dinos repeated. "You mean we'll still have to work?!" Terry exclaimed as they looked at each other. "Oi!" They both fainted at the realization, causing the others to laugh at their misfortune.
DK
In the dark of the night, the clones gathered deep in Zeta Point for their meeting. "So what's this dumb meeting about any way?" Fang asked as he yawned. "I'm tired and want some sleep."
"I could gladly help you get that sleep." Yeager growled, getting Fang to cease yawning.
"Bailey, I'm bored." Thud whined.
"It'll all be over soon, dirtbag." Bailey groaned.
"Can we get milkshakes?"
"Only if you shut up."
"Silence!" The Professor hissed at them. "Here comes Pyro."
The Alpha Acrocanthosaurus appeared on a raised platform, looking down on the rest of his pack. "Good. You've all came."
"Can you tell us what this is all about?" Fang asked.
"I was getting to that." Pyro growled at Fang, making the Clone Carcharodontosaurus slightly cower. "As you all know, 3 months ago we launched a failed attack to the D-Team. In the process we lost our creator; Seth." Some growls of anger were heard, even Pyro himself paused to quietly vent out his rage. "Well, I'm here to tell you all that while he may be dead, he is not gone." This statement lead to some confusion from the others. "He knew the risks of such an attack and knew he could die. That is why he gave me his last will before we left. And that is what I'm here to tell you all."
Pyro began reading out Seth's will to the other clones, explaining in perfect detail their plan. The more sadistic clones started showing great enthusiasm with the plan. Once Pyro was done reading, he stepped on the will and set it up in flames. "I believe you all now understand what he wants. Now is the time to attack! And once the time comes, we will take their entire kingdom by force!" A chorus of roars rang out from the clones as Pyro laughed maniacally. "Ahahahahaha!"
Next time on Dinosaur King:
Terry: What is that?!
Rex: A Torvosaurus!
Paris: Please don't tell me that's who I think it is!
Brontikens: I'll kill you!
Max: It is
A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! And what better present than the premiere of season 2!
Man this chapter took a while. Between real life problems, it wasn't easy coming up with how this was going to play out.
This chapter mainly served as Rex's first challenge as King. I wanted to show how this change affects his life. And to be honest, I'm not seeing many other opportunities in the future.
Torch's side reflects his manipulation. I like comparing him to Boxer from Animal Farm, except Torch gets to live. But this isn't the end of his story.
As for the clones' names: Yeager came from the fan-made spinoff Arendelle Tundra. Go read it, it's very good. The others just came to me. I don't have names for the other clones at the moment. To be honest, I don't see them speaking much.
As for the side plots. The Terry and Chomp plot I made after writing the scene with them at the beginning and decided to see where that would go. Not really proud of it to be honest. And the opening battle is an homage to the Pokemon movies where they would have those.
Let's see, any thing else... nope! See you all next year!