Chapter 17
Digging up the truth
The next morning, right when the whole D Team family returned home after their unfortunate mishap at the Royal Prince, where their cruise sunk to the bottom of the sea and their secret about being dinosaur hunters came out to Aki, now they were all present and accounted for in the Taylor house living room. They each took turns confessing everything to Aki, right from how they first found Chomp in the woods, to learning about the stones, fighting wild dinosaurs across the planet and even against the evil alpha gang for wanting to use the dinosaurs for sinister purposes. It all made sense why they always kept disappearing at the most peculiar of times, there wasn't any other explanation.
Upon hearing the entire story about each and every one of their adventures, Aki folded her arms crossly and raised a stern eyebrow at them, "Is this true?" She asked as Max and the other kids tried their best to avoid eye contact but failed, as her fierce scowl was like a magnet attracting their full focus and attention. Standing around were Spike and the Drakes, who really wished they could speak on their behalf but Aki made it clear that they stay out of it too, for she wanted to have a serious word with them as well. All they could do now was painfully watch Max and the others take their lumps.
"Y…Yes mom…every word of it." Max croaked painfully forcing out the truth from his very heart and soul. Zoe, Cera and Rex gritted their teeth feeling an immense weight on their shoulders having to do this.
"And who else knows about this?" Aki then asked firmly.
"W…Well Dr Owen does….." Max swallowed hard seeing he couldn't keep it from her.
"And Patrick…." Rex followed.
"My parents…." Zoe croaked as a bead of sweat fell from her cheek, "And Reese."
She then turned over to the Drakes as they turned uneasy when she faced her attention at them, "Y…Yes….every word they speak of is complete truth." Mr Drake sweated bullets as Aki's glare pierced through his very soul! His heart racing uncontrollably, if his blood pressure went any higher he might need to see a doctor of his own!
"I'm sorry you had to find it out like this Aki." apologised Reese as she bowed down in a mature manner as she looked up at Aki with firmly, "But let me say on their behalf they have done very well to save many people from dinosaurs and done an excellent job travelling around the world doing so." she said.
"I see….." Aki replied as she looked to each of them, as she moved from child to child, each one of them and their partners jumped or their heart skipped a beat. "So that's what you all have been doing whenever you have to leave so abruptly or have to make quick trips to the D Lab….is it?" She then asked.
They responded looking away whistling uneasily or shivering with fright.
"Err…."
"Well not all the time but eeeeeh…." some went tilting their heads or shrugging their shoulders
Reese sighed in dismay, seeing they were making fools of themselves as she decided to speak up on their behalf, "I won't deny it Aki." she said.
Cera soon saw Reese had the right idea, "We might as well come clean everyone," she said to them all seriously, "No way we can get out of this."
Reluctantly they realised there was no way out of this, only one way through like it or not, they had to fess up as they sighed in defeat, "Yeah you're right…." Max breathed as he stepped up to Aki first and then bowing down immediately, "We're sorry mom for sneaking behind your back all this time!" He said frantically.
Dr Taylor then jumped out and brought himself into a begging pose before his wife much to everyone's surprise, "We're really sorry Aki!" He cried out loud bowing down, "We wanted to tell you this sooner but well….we just…didn't know how or the right time." he whimpered as a puddle of tears began to form under his head.
"We were also really worried how you'd feel about Chomp and the others being dinosaurs and well, we didn't know how you would take it and all….." Max continued nearly mirroring his dad though he just knelt on the floor, "The point is we're really sorry and we're coming to you clean now!"
"But if you want to blame someone blame me!" Spike cried out from underneath, I'm the one who had us all keep this from you!" he admitted as the others looked to him and Max with rather distraught expressions at their exaggerated behaviour, "Now we promise we won't be keeping any secrets from you anymore! So please don't be mad!" he cried. A silence soon drew in, and as Spike and Max both looked up they turned pale as ghosts as they saw a shade cover Aki's eyes and she was shaking! Everyone believed it couldn't be anything but pent up anger and who could blame her for being lied to for so long.
"I understand." she then said as they all braced themselves or backed away waiting patiently and painfully for divine judgment to be casted on to them, every ounce of punishment Aki wanted to send their way, they were ready for it. Some (such as the children and their dinosaurs, even Spike) ducked for cover while the adults like Reese simply closed their eyes and looked away. What they heard next came as a complete surprise to them, as the shade dispelled itself and she smiled at them warmly like she always did, like nothing actually happened, "Oh it's fine kids, there's no need to be all flustered." She said to them before looking at her shivering husband who was peaking through a gap in his fingers, "The same goes for you too dear." she sang lovingly as they blinked or stared speechlessly at her sudden mood change.
"Huh?"
"Wh….what?"
"Not what I was expecting…." Varied responses came from everyone present in the room.
Spike's jaw dropped and he fainted dramatically from the overwhelming pressure he was suffering just now.
"I'm surprised she took it alright…..better than I thought…." Mrs Drake then whispered to her husband as he nodded uneasily.
"I'm very amazed at what you've all managed to keep hidden behind my back for so long, and what you've managed to accomplish too." she said clapping her hands together, "You children really are full of surprises."
Unsure of how to react, the res too the D Team either whistled uneasily or laughed it off anxiously, "Err….hehehehe….."
Aki then looked over to her son, he jumped at first but soon relaxed as she smiled, "Say Max, would you mind showing me how this…umm…dinoholder you called it? Works?" she asked politely, "I want to see it up close and how you do it."
"Why….sure mom…." Max sweated as he took out his device and showed it to her. "You see you just press this button and then-" Pressing the button Chomp glowed, returning to a card, "Chomp turns into a card again!" He said flashing the card like he was doing a magic show, "But slash him back-" He slashed the card and returned the dinosaur back to his small form as he barked and wagged his tail. "And he becomes a dinosaur again!" he cheered.
"Wow, a neat trick." Aki clapped smiling while closing her eyes, "So how do you make him full size then?" she then asked.
"Oh you just need to slash in the other direction." Max answered, he was tempted to do it but decided against it at the last second as he waved his hands out, "But let's not go there okay?"
"Of course not." she chuckled as she held her hand out to him, "May I try?" she asked.
"Haha sure of course mom." Max laughed seeing nothing wrong with it as he felt proud showing it off to her, "Here." he said handing her his dinoholder.
"Thanks sweetie." she replied as she searched for the button he pressed easier, "Now I just press this." She pressed it and Chomp changed into a card which floated to the ground gently. "Ah…." she said as she went and picked it up. She then looked to Rex and Zoe, "So it works the same for the others too?" She asked as they smiled and nodded.
"Yup."
"Sure does Mrs Taylor."
"Wonderful." she replied as she took them out of their hands, "Let's see." Repeating the same process she returned both chibi dinosaurs to cards and picked them up, before facing Cera last, who uneasily handed her dinoshot over to the older woman knowing she'd already ask for it. "How about this one? It looks different from the others." she asked eying it all around.
"Umm, that one's a little bit special Mrs Taylor." Cera replied scratching her cheek, "But it works about the same way."
"Ah, so I just push this button then?" Aki then guessed a button and seeing she had no reason to lie or keep any secrets, Cera sweated nervously as she nodded.
"Y…Yeah?" she said with her tone betraying her inside feelings as Aki pressed it and Miku on her shoulder turned to a card, which she soon picked up. Cera herself felt rather pained to see her partner taken away from her like that, even if ti was by family that didn't quite make it any better.
"Wow this really is amazing." Aki breathed as she looked all around it with interest.
"Glad you think so too…." Cera smiled uneasily, inside her mind she could tell that no matter how kind Aki was, even she couldn't have turned a 180 degree mood change so easily, while she didn't want to suspect anything of her she could tell something was up, also the way she was eying her device seemed rather exaggerated and forced. Something that Reese was quite aware of herself as she folded her arms and eyed the scenario carefully.
"Hahah you think?" Spike laughed having recovered from his fainting spell, "It really is almost like magic isn't it? To think living breathing dinosaurs that walked the earth long ago are now in the palm of your hand. Oh it's like a dream come true." he said proudly with glistening eyes as everyone else smiled and nodded proudly.
"Indeed," said Aki with a smile herself as she put aside all their devices and cards into a cardboard box nearby the floor, "The fact that they're all cards now, will make things easier for you all to say goodbye." she added at the end as she closed it up.
"Mhmm." They all nodded.
Spike grinned, "Yup it sure-" Suddenly they all came back to what she said to them earlier, about saying goodbye to their dinosaurs and devices.
"W…Wait what!?"
"Huh!?"
"Come again!?" They all gasped in alarm as they looked to Aki once more, freezing as her earlier serious expression returned, only this time harder than before. The Drakes were taken aback at how she was able to conceal her true intentions so well, though Reese and Cera had their suspicions.
"Hehehe, Aki you are funny sometimes, but really you shouldn't joke about things like that." Spike laughed nervously as he edged around his wife to the cardboard box on the table, "Now just hand those back to the children and-" As he reached his hand out for the box, Aki quickly grabbed it and pinched him hard in her grip, causing him to scream! "YOW!" he cried as a few tears were shed!
"You all heard me right." She said hardening her gaze before directing it to everyone else present.
"AH!?"
"Gah!"
Everyone gasped at what just happened, and froze as she turned to them all. Even Reese herself shuddered at what just happened, and Aki wasn't finished yet.
"I realise now that you all have far too much freedom." she then said while letting her husband go. As Spike began rubbing the pinch spot which was throbbing sorely she looked to them all seriously, "But not anymore…." she said as she put the box down on the floor and she stood in front of it, "I'm going to make sure none of you lay a finger on these devices again, nor your 'pets' anymore!"
The D Team cried out in alarm and disbelief, "HUH!?"
"That's insane!"
"N…No…." Seeing their friends taken from them like that was like having a piece of their souls being torn away from them forcefully, an experience overwhelming and one they couldn't easily take in.
Max shook emotionally and he gritted his teeth crying out, "Mom!" he ran to her, "You can't do that!"
"I can and I will Max." she said looking down and away from them, "This is all for your own good. Don't try to talk me out of it."
Even the Drakes and Spike too were taken aback by her going this far. "Aki! There's no need to be going that extreme!" said Reese, "The children are-"
"That's right! They're children!" she interrupted cutting her off as she turned to each of the adults in the room, "I can't believe you all just let them go around the world and fighting battles against giant monsters with giant monsters! What were you thinking!?" she cried as bitter tears began to form in her eyes as she looked to her husband who jumped back in a fright, "Especially you Spike! How could you let our own son and his friends go out into the world like it's some kind of playground!?"
Spike swallowed hard feeling guilty and shamed of himself thinking about what Aki said to him, her words pierced his heart like a dart on a bullseye as he lowered his head down unable to say anything back.
Seeing his dad couldn't find it in him to talk some sense into her, Max gritted his teeth as he stepped forward "Mom that's enough!" he yelled once more to Aki, "They're not monsters! They're our friends!"
"They're nice dinosaurs and they help us keep the wild ones in check so they don't hurt anyone!" Rex followed.
"And we still have a responsibility to make sure the dinosaurs stay safe!" Zoe added standing by her friends' side.
"Otherwise bad people will-"
"That's no longer your concern." said Aki cutting off Cera. Aki began to grit her teeth and her hands shook uncontrollably hinting immeasurable amounts of pent up rage, "I thought you all were responsible, but going out into the world amongst strangers, all the obvious lies that these pets of yours weren't dogs but actual living dinosaurs….Also, the times I saw you on the news, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me….the time I saw you in Barcelona….." She hissed as tears fell from her eyes as she then fell to her knees, covering up her face with her hands, with only the muffled sounds of her sniffling and weeping coming from her hands, "How could I have been so blind? What kind of mother am I to have let you all get away with it so long?"
With no way to respond, the others could only stare and watch helplessly, paralysed by Aki's heartfelt words which embedded within their hearts rendering them incapable of responding back to her, other than a few measly words they could only utter.
"Aki…."
"Mrs Taylor…."
She then removed her hands from her face revealing a hard expression underneath, "But now I've made up my mind!" Wiping her tears away as she stood up firmly to make an announcement to them all, "The fact that you all hid it from me all this time proves that I can't trust any of you with this anymore!" She then yelled, "From this moment on you're all grounded! No more adventures around the world! No more D Lab! No more D Team! And no more dinosaurs!"
Everyone widened their eyes in shock upon hearing her declaration.
"Say what!?"
"You can't be serious!"
"Mom please! You don't have to do this!" Max begged.
"Aki! Don't you think you're overreacting!?" Spike followed in agreement with his son.
She then shot a glare at her husband which took him by surprise, "Overreacting!?"
"Err…maybe that was a poor choice of words….." he croaked scratching his cheek uneasily, his heart racing uncontrollably. Never before had they ever seen her so angry before, and this new experience for them had left them at a loss for words and the right way to respond.
She then closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, "This is for the best," she said closing her eyes, "Like cutting off a video game habit, this will make sure none of you will get influenced or tempted to go out on an adventure that could get yourself hurt….or worse…." She added at the end, she shed a single tear imagining if something were to happen to any of them because they were young and could easily get hurt if they acted carelessly.
Max and the others were taken aback, understanding she was right in her own way, but still….
"But….to keep Chomp and the others away from us is like keeping us away from our best friends!" Rex cried out.
"Yeah Mrs Taylor! Can't you see that?!" Cera then added feeling torn on the inside herself.
As she was faced with all kinds of pleading expressions from everyone else, Aki then turned away from the all and sighed, "If that's how it must be then so be it…."
"Please Aki," Reese pleaded, "Try to be a little more reasonable."
"You'll all understand." she replied as she took her handbag from the chair near the door, "You can all get angry at me all you want but I'm just doing my duty as a mother protecting her children and his friends…." she added as she went to go put on her shoes, and everyone didn't bother trying anymore from then.
"Mom…." Max breathed feeling helpless, compared to being unable to do anything to help a dinosaur in need, this was far worse than anything he or the other members of the D Team felt before.
Everyone else was completely speechless.
"…"
"I'm going out for a while." she said having enough and not wishing to look at them in the eye again, "I need some fresh air and some time to clear my head a bit." she said as she reached for the door knob, but before she opened it she let out 1 final warning, "Until I get back do NOT leave the house at all under any circumstances!" she said strictly as everyone else nodded with painful reluctance.
"Y…Yeah…."
"We'll do as you say…."
She then turned to the adults present, "Spike, you and the Drakes will keep hold of those 'devices' of theirs," she instructed, "Lock them up in the safe and no one is to touch them at all, not even laying a finger on the safe. Understand?" she said narrowing her eyes at them.
"Y…Yes dear…." said Spike as he lowered his head, seeing neither he nor the others were a match for Aki.
Finally she looked over to the entire D Team, "And you kids, from this moment on you're all grounded on house arrest until further notice!" she said out loud as they nodded once more.
"Y…Yes mom…." said Max.
"We understand…." Zoe, Cera and Rex said in unison.
After that she closed the door behind her knowing full well they wouldn't dare go against her now.
A few minutes after she shut the door and knowing she was well away, Max and the rest of the D Team took their frustration out on Spike, "Dad!" Max cried out, "Why didn't you say anything!?"
"You know this isn't the way to go about it!" Zoe followed.
"Yeah Dr Taylor!" said Rex in agreement, "After everything we did we can't just-"
"Kids….." he cut them off looking to them all firmly with the Drakes and Reese, "When your mom gives that look, it means she's made up her mind and there's no changing it at all." he said. Deep down he too knew it was wrong, but he couldn't go against it after knowing who Aki was feeling on the inside, "Right now….she just needs some time to think it over. Until then you'll just have to do as she says, even if it hurts….." he said at the end as he took his leave and went outside to the garden to think things over on his own.
With him gone, Zoe then went over to her parents hoping they'd help, "Mom, dad, you both were okay with us going out to other countries for dinosaurs weren't you?" she asked as her parents looked to one another before turning back to her sadly.
Dr Drake scratched his cheek, "Well yes that's true….but…."
"I believe Aki is different." added her mother finishing for him, "While we believe you are grown up and able to handle yourselves just fine. Aki may not think the same though."
"Yeah, let's look at it from her perspective." said Cera as she stepped in catching her friends off guard.
"Huh!?"
"You're taking her side Cera!?" They yelled in exasperation and disbelief.
"I mean, we have been lying to her for a long time so she no doubt feels hurt," she explained, "Not just about the lie but also that maybe she feels that we can't trust her with the truth from the start." she said backing up her point as their anger began to subside understandably, "Also as a mom, if your child kept going off outside to a place where he or she might get hurt easily and doesn't listen to your warnings, wouldn't you do the same as she did?"
"But…." Max then held himself back realising if he continued to fight he'd only be denying the truth and make himself and the others nothing more than children rebelling against their parents. "No…you're right…." he added at the end as Zoe and Rex eyed him sympathetically, after all their past adventures they better than to continue to fight a battle they shouldn't win.
"Well put Cera." said Reese nodding in acknowledgement of her taking the situation quite maturely, "Let's just leave her be for now, she needs her own space to sort this out, it's all we can do and give her some time alone to think about it."
"Yeah I guess…." Max sighed lowering his head as he and the others went off around the house to try and find something to do, hoping it would distract them or keep their mind off Chomp and the others.
"Let's not give up on her though." Dr Drake then said with a smile, "I'm sure after we give her some time she'll come to understand."
"We can only hope…." Cera thought to herself, knowing Aki herself would;t be easy to convince after a drama like that.
(Meanwhile)
Further down the street, Aki stomped along the sidewalk with a very crossed expression on her face, apparently still feeling very bitter about the lies and trouble that had been going on behind her back for so long. It was clear she wasn't about to move on anytime soon as some people passing by moved out of her way or shuddered as she walked by, knowing she was in a bad mood and isn't one to be messed with, "I can't believe they all had the nerve to go behind my back all this time and lie to me…..how could they keep me in the dark like that….." she muttered to herself under her breath, "If only I had known about this earlier I would have grounded them all for this a whole lot sooner….." she said to herself making sure she wouldn't be so naive nor make such careless mistakes anymore, from now on she'd even consider banning the word dinosaur or even anything to do with palaeontology when she gets home.
Little did she know though, was that her problems with dinosaurs had only just begun. Nearby in a backyard she passed by, a white and brown cat had climbed up a tree and was stalking a rather fat bird sleeping in a nest. As it edged closer ready to pounce, the bird suddenly awoke and took off away much to the cat's frustration as it pounced ahead and only managed to swipe off a pair of tail feathers from the bird. Looking down into the nest it saw a rather large egg inside. Curious, it used its' paw to shove the egg out of the nest where it cracked open hitting on a rock in the yard and revealing a pair of cards, including a wind move card and a yellow dinosaur on the front.
As the cat hopped down from the tree to get a better look at what it found, a gentle breeze blew across the cards causing them both to glow blue before materialising as a medium sized theropod, yellowish with grey patches and underside as well as white splotches on its' back. The cat snarled and hissed defensively only to be driven away by the sinraptor's snarl! Leaping over the backyard fence it sniffed the air, catching scent of potential prey down the street. As it focused harder it caught sight of a lone woman with short brown hair with her handbag walking down alone in a bad mood. The carnivore licked its' lips knowing it found a target that was not only alone but also preoccupied somehow, as it shadowed her slowly, stalking her slowly while using corners as cover as it slowly edged towards its' intended victim.
(Meanwhile)
At Zeta Point, Helga was reading a list which displayed her set of chores to do for the day given to her by Dr Z, "Let's see now, dust the furniture." Rushing to the living room she saw the sofas and chairs was all dusty and messy, courtesy of her coating it all with Ursula's anti-rash dusting powder. "Check." She said ticking it off with a pen before moving onto the next, "Change the bathroom towels." Speeding to the bathroom she saw the bathroom towels were cut into all sorts of various zig zag shapes thanks to her handy scissor work, "Check." She ticked it off before turning to the kitchen where her last 2 chores were, "Measure rice." Looking at the table she saw a box of rice with notes on the weight of the rice by it. "Check." she said ticking it off, "Lastly, dress the chicken…." Looking up from her lists she saw the chicken to be cooked for dinner was now dressed in tuxedo and suit, as well as a tie on it! "All done." She said crumpling up the list and tossing it away in a nearby trash can.
She then overheard some noises coming from the main computer room, so she headed over there to find Ursula and Zander bickering with one another at the computer while Ed was typing on it, the screen however had a huge red skull with crossbones symbol on it.
"Argh! This all your fault Ursula!" Zander yelled shaking his fist at her in frustration, "You just had to be using the main computer for this!"
"My fault!? How am I to blame for all this!?" Ursula retorted.
"You're the one who clicked on that pop up add for that so limited time 'Wonderful Woman's Fashions'!" Zander cried out, "Everyone knows those ads always hide a virus in them!"
She then widened her eyes in shock, "Say what!? They can do that!?" she whined, "That should be illegal!"
"Don't worry you guys," said Ed as they looked to him holding a data drive proudly in his hand, "Once I get this anti-virus programme into the computer it'll clean out the systems completely." They then brightened up as he was just about to plug it in. Before he could though-
"Did someone say cleaning?" a monotonous voice suddenly asked catching the trio off guard!
"GAH!" they gasped as they turned to look to see Helga approaching them with a bucket filled with soapy water.
"H…Helga?"
"What are you doing here?" Ursula and Ed asked nervously.
"My job." she replied, in a tone which pot them all at unease, as she looked over to the main computer terminal and opened it up revealing all kinds of wiring and circuitry inside it, "Now I will clean up the systems." she said grabbing the bucket of water.
Realising what she was about to do, the Trio jumped out at her in alarm! "NO! Helga stop!"
SPLASH!
They came too late as she splashed the water all over the terminal, causing their hearts to skip several beats. Within seconds, the entire base surged with immense electricity all round it!
BZZT!
"GAAAAAHHHH!" The Trio hugged one another in terror as bad memories of a previous lightning storm surged back to their memories, along with the surge of energy which coursed through Zeta Point!
Blackening out Rod and Laura's study room and computers! "Hey! My homework!"
"Mine too!" They cried out in shock as their room turned dark.
Rod then slammed his fist on the desk in frustration, "Aw man! I spent hours on that essay!"
"And I was so close to finish my last question too…." Laura muttered.
"Ahahahaha this is the best show ever!" Dr Z laughed in his bedroom watching a TV show with clowns hitting each other with chickens. Suddenly the screen turned blank and his room turned all dark, as he froze stiff and turned pale, "GAH! NO!" he gasped grasping his face before crying into his pillow and pounding his fist into it.
Downstairs in the lab, Seth was gazing at a glass tube filled with liquid, and inside floated a fire move card one which had saurophaganax and a dark meteor on it. Seeing completion was at 80% he smirked sinisterly seeing it wouldn't be long now, "Alright, almost there." he said please, "With a little more fine tuning this move card will-"
BZZT!
Suddenly a surge of electricity coursed through the lab catching him off guard! "What's this!?" He yelled in alarm as suddenly his lab shut down and it turned completely dark. His eyes widened in shock to see the completion progress had been shut down. It was then he hardened his gaze and clenched his fist knowing already the source of this problem. "Helga….." he hissed under his breath. Perhaps leaving her in her current state to cover his tracks didn't completely tie up the loose end, perhaps he'd have to deal with her permanently.
Back in the main room, the Trio stuttered over to the computer to see it was now completely dead, as well as the base. They fell to their knees contemplating their life choices and wondering however they ever came to be this way and what they did to ever deserve it when they were once filled with hopes and dreams.
"Urgh….."
"Done." said Helga as she picked up the bucket and turned to leave, "Now if you excuse me I will be taking a well deserved break." She said as she exited the room.
"I almost want to break her….." Ursula said weakly as all sorts of emotions coursed right through her mind.
"Good luck with that." Zander muttered, "She'll turn you inside out the moment you try." He said making her slip down to the floor in defeat and despair.
"Urgh….this isn't going to go over well…." she said muffled through he floor.
"At least Dr Z can't blame us for this….." Ed muttered twiddling his fingers.
As if right on cue, "Ursula! Zander! Ed!" Dr Z's voice echoed through the hallways which caused them all to shudder and tense up.
"Or maybe he can….." Ed then whined as he and the others lowered their heads in defeat and headed out to take their lumps for the umpteenth time.
(Meanwhile)
At the cafe, Aki sat outside under a seat and table with an umbrella as the waiter handed her a slice of cherry cheese cake and coffee. Seeing she was still looking down and disheartened, he left her be, as she soon took notice of her order and began stirring aimlessly into the coffee with her spoon, "Oh…..why do I feel so awful?" she asked herself, feeling deeply torn on the inside. She felt did what she had to, because it was to keep her family safe and also they had to take responsibility for their lying behind her back for so long. On the other hand, she did in a way take away their pets, their closest friends too. Also she acted on emotion instead of thinking rationally, and she didn't quite hear their side of the story either. "I suppose I did take away their pets from them, and even if they are cards they are still technically living creatures…..Maybe I might have been a little too extreme….." she muttered to herself, "Also, I suppose thanks to those dinosaurs they have grown quite a fair bit and they are venturing out into the world, they'll have to leave the nest sooner or later…."
Widening her eyes she shook her head and smacked her cheeks clearing her thoughts and guilt out, "Wait….what am I thinking!? They're still in middle school for goodness sake!" she grunted grasping her head, catching the attention of other customers who stared at her awkwardly or backed away thinking she was crazy or something. "What if they go to the middle of some war zone, a prison or even some highly contaminated waste dump!? I can't bare to see my precious baby and his friends end up in the afterlife!" she gasped in a panic envisioning the children either getting poisoned in a toxic environment, being trapped behind bars or getting blown up by military gunfire, "Also those dinosaurs of theirs have been eating us out of house and home, with them as cards now we won't need to worry about buying so much to feed them let alone them eating us out of house and home." she cried out teary eyed before putting on a serious expression and standing up firmly, "That settles it, what I'm doing is just tough love and that's all there is to it! End of story." She decided as she sat back down to drink her coffee and take a bite out of her cake feeling much more clear minded, "When I get back I'm going to set things straight for them all and-"
"AAAAAHHH!" A lady's scream was heard from around the corner of the cafe catching her attention as well as everyone else's.
"Hmmm?" Aki blinked her eyes as she stood up for a look, she at first assumed it would be a mugger, but what happened next proved her very wrong.
"I thought those things were extinct!"
"Then that's 1 angry fossil!"
"RUN!" A group of teenagers ran away across the street as a car was suddenly flung onto the street and crashing down sounding its' alarm!
"AH!" Aki widened her eyes as others got up to get a closer look. Suddenly leaping onto the car itself was the sinraptor, as it roared out loudly people then screamed in terror as they ran away in separate directions!
"Run away!"
"Dinosaur!"
Aki however, froze in her tracks and could only back away slowly in terror as bad memories of the other night at sea came back to mind, only now….she was alone with no way of defending herself. The sinraptor then shot it's gaze at her and leapt off the car before approaching her slowly, with deep hissing as it bore its' fangs. Realising the gravity of the situation, Aki's heart raced as she turned around to run, "AAAAAH! HELP!" she cried out pleadingly as the dinosaur gave chase after her!
(Meanwhile)
Meanwhile back at the Taylor household, Mr and Mrs Drake had left in response to an urgent house call about a family who's pet cat got a hurt paw after stepping on a sharp rock, leaving Reese and Dr Taylor to look after the safe which they used to to lock up the cards and dinoholders, as well as the children, who needless to say were bored out of their minds.
"It's your move Zoe." said Cera rather emptily after she moved her bishop to corner Zoe's king in a game of chess at the table.
"Don't rush me….." Zoe muttered back as she rested her head in her arm with rather dead eyes while tapping her finger on the table. "So what do you think I should Paris?" She asked looking to her side, but instead of seeing her partner looking up at her she saw nothing but the floor as she sighed sadly. "Ugh….."
Cera looked to her now vacant shoulder as she let out a rather sad moan herself, "Oh Miku….." Her partner had been with her as long as she could remember, to have her gone like that was like having a piece of her own soul ripped out from her.
Reese and Dr Taylor looked on pityingly as they looked outside to see Max and Rex kicking a ball by themselves. Rex had just managed to steal the soccer ball from Max and was about to kick it to the side, "Hey Ace! Get ready to-" Where Ace once ran by to back him up, now was an empty patch of grass as Rex fell back into sadness, "Oh yeah…."
"Heh, an opening!" Max smirked seizing his chance and the ball from Rex before kicking it, "Hey Chomp! Dig fast-" Instead the ball flew hard and bounced off the fence before rolling into the tree as Max stopped in his tracks realising it too, "Oh….." It was at that point the D Team pretty much all gave up on what they were doing as they slumped down into emptiness, seeing everything was pretty much pointless now that their partners were no longer with them.
"Man I'm bored….." Max groaned as he slumped down to the ground.
"Same here," said Zoe as she lay down on the floor, "We've been with our dinosaurs for so long I almost forgot how to have fun without them….."
Dr Taylor looked away, finding the sight too painful for him, the children who used to run around enjoying life to the fullest with their dinosaurs now reduced to measly couch potatoes, it broke his heart to see them in such a state.
"I know it's hard." said Reese comfortingly, "But, please try to bear with it you four."
"Reese is right," said Spike finding his arms seriously, "What's done is done so instead of dwelling on the past try to move on from it, otherwise you'll get left behind and miss out on the present."
"Easy for you to say….." Rex muttered in response, "I'm sure even you're finding it painful to be without Chomp and the others to liven things up don't you Dr Taylor?"
Spike stuttered being Rex struck a cord and he couldn't deny it, "I…ugh…."
Cera however took his words to heart as she stood up and headed for the couch, "Maybe some TV should help out a bit." she said as she fished out the remote from inside it.
Seeing nothing better to do, the rest of the D Team decided to join her, "I guess….." said Max as he and the others gathered around to see what was up.
As soon as they switched it on however, "Breaking news!" A news alert came on with the anchorwoman onscreen, "We're coming to you live downtown in Sanjo City, where a vicious dinosaur has just appeared and is now terrorising the district!" She explained as the scene depicted downtown with overturned vehicles that were either on alarm or on fire! There were also ripped up lampposts, proper signs, fire hydrants spewing water out of them like fountains and several people running about in terror!
The news of a dinosaur on a rampage soon brought life and alarm back to the entirety of the household as they quickly gathered around to see, "AH!"
"No way!"
The scene then shifted to some police with riot shields or firing tasers at the large yellow dinosaur, "Authorities are trying their best to hold back the vicious animal but to little success!" Their actions hover only succeeded in angering the dinosaur as it ripped off the taser cords and bowled through their riot shields, even pouncing on them or grabbing cops who couldn't run in time and throwing them into windows and walls before roaring out fiercely!
"It's a sinraptor!" Cera gasped recognising the dinosaur as the others looked on in shock.
"Luckily there are no reported injuries, but if there is anyone present downtown this moment we urgently request you remain indoors!" The anchorwoman announced.
Reese then caught sight of a familiar woman running away from the attack, "Look! Is that-" She soon stopped as the woman turned to look back in terror, showing her face on camera and catching everyone off guard!
"MOM!" Max cried out.
"Aki!" Spike followed in horror, as the sinraptor caught sight of her and charged after her behind the corner of a building!
Everyone gasped, "Oh no!"
"AH!"
"MOM! NO!" Max cried hardest of all as he fell to his knees thinking the worst had happened.
"Grrr…." Spike gritted his teeth hardly as something inside him snapped. He then shoved the keys to the safe over to Reese much to her surprise, "Reese! Take this!" he yelled grabbing her hand and putting it in as he ran off.
"Wh…Where are you going Dr Taylor!?" she cried out as the others looked to him in alarm.
"What a husband should be doing, and that's to protect his wife!" he answered grabbing his lasso on the desk before heading for the door, "I'm not about to let some wild dinosaur make a meal out of my Aki! The meantime you watch the safe and make sure you watch the kids!" he said grabbing the handle of the door.
Max stood up in alarm, "Dad you can't be serious!"
"Yeah! You can't possible take on that dinosaur by yourself!"
"It's suicide!" Cera and Rex cried just as worried.
"Please think this through rationally Doctor." said Reese concerned as well, "I know you want to help but this isn't the way to go about it."
"Just let us do it!" Max then yelled, "Open up the safe and-"
"Not a chance kids!" Spike interrupted much to their alarm.
"Huh!?"
He turned to them with a serious expression, "No matter what happens, what your mother says still stands! End of conversation!" He said as he prepared to shut the door behind him, though before doing so, his expression turned rather conflicted and at the same time slightly hopeful before it closed behind.
"DAD!" Max cried out but was too late as his father had already made cup his mind. The very thought os his parents now being in danger made Max fall on his knees and grab his hair in bundles out of frustration, "I can't believe him, just what is he thinking!?" he then screamed.
"I'd say he's still going to honour your mother's word to the end, just shows….how loyal and faithful he is to the end…." said Cera feeling both touched and also conflicted at the same time.
"But still….." As they all looked to the screen again, seeing the massive chaos and destruction still on the news, they all looked to one another and nodded knowing what had to be done.
Standing up together they all looked to Reese, and already she could tell what they were about to ask her just by their expressions they were giving her.
"Don't look at me like that." she said to them folding her arms, "Max, your father was serious about not letting you guys go. If you put yourselves out there in danger you'll just be doing exactly what Aki was afraid you'll do."
"I know that Reese, we all do…." said Max as he clenched his fists and looked down.
"But still we can't just stand by and watch that dinosaur tear up our city and make a meal out of Mrs Taylor!" Rex retorted shaking a fist at her.
"That's right!" Zoe followed, "What if that was our mom and dad out there being attacked and you could do something about it!?"
Zoe's words to her sister made Reese widen her eyes and step back, knowing she hit her where it did hurt, "Urgh…." she gritted her teeth painfully and looking away.
"Think about it Reese," said Cera stepping up to the plate next, "I'm sure even you know what the right thing to do is."
"Come on sis…please…." Zoe pleaded as they all eyed her with determination and concern.
Looking to the safe where she and Dr taylor confiscated the D team's belonging, she then closed her eyes and smiled, feeling in her heart the children really were growing up and were willing to stand up for what was right, as she took out the keys from her pockets and began to unlock the safe.
(Meanwhile)
"Gasp…gasp…gasp!" Running frantically as fast as she could, Aki kept her eyes forward as she rushed down an alleyway, stepping over a puddle and past by some garbage dumpsters as she trued her best to put as much distance as she could between herself and the sinraptor in order to keep form becoming its' next meal. "This can't be happening…this can't be happening…." all she wanted was to take herself and her family out and away from dinosaurs once and for all, but now the dinosaurs have come back and now one was hunting her, "This has to be nightmare!" she screamed not looking back, each step she took she could hear the footsteps of the sinraptor from behind which spurred her to keep running forward and not look back! As she came into a corner she then took a step back in horror, "Gasp!" She realised she had come to a dead end, a huge brick wall in front of her with no ladders to climb up or anything to hie behind.
Separately she turned around to try and backtrack, but the sinraptor soon charged into view and caught sight of her! "Oh no!" She cried as the dinosaur flashed its teeth and closed in on her slowly, backing her till she was against the wall with no way to move or run. Tearing up bitterly she then cried out at the top of her lungs pleading for a miracle, "H…Help! Somebody! Anybody!" As the sinraptor saw that as a chance to move in, her prayers were miraculously answered.
"Over here you colossal fossil!" A loud yell shouted behind them.
Looking behind her attacker, Aki widened her eyes to see none other than her husband swinging a lasso which was connected to a handle shaped like a chameleon, "Spike!?" she gasped as the sinraptor turned its' attention to him, growling aggressively at the intruder on its' meal.
"Leave my wife alone!" Dr taylor yelled undeterred by he dinosaur's hissing threat, "Take this!" The rope then snared around sinraptor's jaws, shutting it close! It pulled back on the rope, causing Dr Taylor's feet to drag on the ground! After a fierce tug o' war he then used the momentum to propel himself right onto its back as got ahold of its' neck! "Woo hoo! Just like riding a bucking bronco on the wild west!" He cheered as the dinosaur thrashed about in annoyance unable to reach him while also slamming itself into the walls while trying to shake him off!
As Spike continued to bravely wrangle the sinraptor, Aki couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise "Oh my….." even if it was indeed dangerous she couldn't help but be amazed by the performance herself.
"Ahahaha!" Spike laughed in amusement, riding on the back of a dinosaur was a life long goal he hoped to achieve and he was finally living in the moment! However, he soon got careless as he lowered his leg down and the dinosaur was able to grab it with it's arm and yank him down! "Huh? WHOA!" Spike cried as he was flung right off and onto the ground, splashing in the puddle causing his face to get all muddied! "ARGH!"
"Spike!" While the sinraptor was distracted trying to tear the cord off its' jaws, Aki quickly ran past it to her downed husband as she helped him stand up.
"Urgh how embarrassing…." he croaked blushing red in shame looking bad in front of his wife, before looking to her.
"Oh honey are you alright!?" she gasped looking all over him, checking for injuries.
He then smirked, "Heh, never better honey….." he chuckled before checking her next putting his hands around her, "Did that beast lay a claw on you?"
"I'm fine, don't worry." she replied taking his hands away to show she was fine. She then pouted rather crossly at him, "You had me really worried there, don't scare me like that again!" she grunted folding her arms on her hips as him as he scratched his head uneasily.
"I'll…try…." he said looking away while scratching his head with a cheeky grin, "Heh, can't make any promises though….adventure is in my blood after all!"
"Heh, I suppose not," Aki chuckled back in response, "Though I have to say, you looked really stunning out there." she said with a smile as she leaned in closer to him feeling much safer with him being close. "I don't think any other man would ever try to tangle with a dinosaur like that on his own." She added as Spike blushed red and chuckled in amusement seeing how lucky he was.
"Heh if you think this incredible you've seen nothing, the kids have done much better out in the field." he said as she blinked in surprise, "I know because I was there with them when it happened."
She then backed away from him in surprise, "You….were?" she breathed.
Spike nodded, "Mhmm." he was about to tell her more about the D Team and their exploits, when the sinraptor finally managed to rip off the cord around its' jaws before roaring at them in anger! "But let's not discuss it right now, let's go!" He yelled as he tugged at Aki's arm and ran with her!
"Ah!" She gasped as she was pulled and quickly the 2 of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them away from the sinraptor, which as they made a tight turn around a corner it ended up sliding fast and knocking into a dumpster which fell on it! Buying them some time as it tried to get the metallic continuer off it!
As they came to a 2 way path, Spike looked to the side seeing a way out and onto the open street again, "This way!" he cried as Aki followed him. They were able to make good distance but suddenly the sinraptor leaped out and landed right in front of the, cutting off their escape as it roared fiercely at them!
"AH!" Aki cried as Spike took her behind him.
"Get behind me Aki! I'll protect you!" he said firmly and she huddled back. Spike raised his arms out at the sinraptor, glaring a it with a firm expression showing he wasn't backing down one bit. Accepting his challenge, the sinraptor growled as it rushed straight at them, ready to pounce as Aki teared up and Spike closed his eyes gritting his teeth preparing to meet his fate, "Urgh….."
"Hey you!" A voice suddenly yelled which stopped the sinraptor at the last second, "Leave my parents alone!" It then turned around and growled as Spike opened up his eyes and smiled, inside cheering with joy how he was alive.
Aki widened her eyes recognising the voice all too well, "Huh!?" As she and Spike looked where the sinraptor was facing, they saw none other than their own son standing on the horizon with a serious expression on his face!
"M…Max!?" As she blinked her eyes and looked closer, she could see he wasn't alone, "Zoe! Cera! And Rex too!?" she exclaimed as they all stood together again the vicious dinosaur that was attacking her and Spike!
She at first thought they were mad, but then they each took out their dinoholders that she thought she had confiscated, "You're going down!" Max yelled.
"Altogether!" Rex followed as he, Max and Zoe took out their cards, "Dino slash!"
A bright light shone, as it dissipated, Chomp, Ace and Paris all appeared and stood together against the lone sinraptor which snarled at them all angrily.
Aki blinked her eyes in surprise to see their dinosaurs were out together, "Ah! Did they-"
"Mom, dad!" Max cried out to them, "You can yell at us later, but right now find some cover and fast! This is going to get rough!"
"O…Okay…." Aki nodded uneasily as Spike began tugging on her shoulder.
"Over there! Quickly!" He said as he pulled her away while the sinraptor was distracted, behind a large truck parked at the street and they hid behind it, "We should be safe behind here." He said sheltering her behind him and she nodded nervously as they both peered out to see the battle from the side of the truck.
Upon noticing its' prey had gone into hiding, the sinraptor roared in anger as it prepared to charge after them, but the D Team wasn't about to let out have its' way, "Chomp! Protect mom and dad!" Max commanded as his partner roared and charged ahead and got in the sinraptor's way and blocked it from getting any closer to the truck where his parents were.
"Don't give it any room to move!" Cera called out as Miku squawked on her shoulder.
"Right!" Rex and Zoe replied knowing what to do.
"You get in there too Ace!"
"Back them up Paris!" they ordered as they followed Chomp and they eventually had the sinraptor surrounded as it roared out in frustration.
Behind the truck, Aki stared and looked on speechlessly at what was happening before her eyes, "The kids….even after what I said to them they still…." she breathed in disbelief, despite everything she did they were out here trying to save her, with heir dinosaurs no less.
Spike then smirked, "Heh, just as I expected them to do." he said as Aki looked to her husband in confusion.
"Wh…What?"
"Take a good look Aki," he said gesturing her to look at the battle unfolding before them, "Even if it's going against what we told them they know what's really right in the end. If there's one thing all their experiences out in the world has taught them, it's how to stand up for what they believe in." He explained recalling all their growth and experiences that had taught them much the day they found Chomp. Also feeling relieved himself that the children went against him on their own as he had hoped, "It's natural you'd want to protect them, it's what every parent does." he said with compassion as he put an arm around her, "But there comes a time when we have to let them leave the nest and fly into the world so they can grow. It's an inevitability." He said sniffling slightly, knowing it was all true, and that they were already growing up before hitting puberty, "Take a good look and see for yourself how far they've already come on their own." He said to her once more as she continued to look on.
Chomp charged first but the sinraptor quickly leapt onto his frill and kicked off it like a springboard before landing on the other side, then swiftly swinging its' tail out to send Ace flying into a wall! As it regained its' balance, Paris then charged in and rammed it by its' side and causing it to fall at the ground with a large thud!
"Alright! We've got him cornered!" Zoe cheered as Paris roared in triumph seeing they had the sinraptor at a wall. However, as it kicked itself backup, it snarled viciously before glowing light blue! The light made Paris back away but as it died down she was taken aback by surprise that now there were 3 dinosaurs she had to contend with now! Quickly in unison they charged ahead and knocked Paris back and she skidded across the street in pain, "AH!" Zoe gasped.
"There's 2 more of them!" Rex gasped as Max widened his eyes in shock!
"That's split attack!" Cera yelled recognising the move as the 3 sinraptors rushed ahead and all pounced on Chomp, biting behind his neck, clawing his back or snapping at his legs as he roared out in pain!
"Chomp no!" Max cried in alarm.
"Help him out Ace!" Rex yelled as Ace got back on his feet and knocked away one dinosaur! "Take this! Cyclone!" Rex slashed the move card and Ace was enveloped in a large tornado before dashing out and ramming 1 sinraptor into a lamppost which fell on it and it roared in pain!
"Metal Wing!" Zoe followed up as Paris summoned the 3 pteranodons which slashed away at another sinraptor with their sharp wings causing it to fall to the ground! Both dinosaurs exploded into dust much to their surprise. "They just vanished!"
"Then that's the real one!" Cera pointed out, revealing the last one was biting Chomp's leg as he kicked it away! The sinraptor somersaulted backwards to prevent itself from falling to the ground, but it then reared up on its legs and roared, glowing blue before splitting into 3 again!
"It did it again!" Max grunted in annoyance as the dinosaurs switched to a divide and conquer strategy this time keeping all 3 of their dinosaurs occupied simultaneously! Chomp charged forward but his opponent met him head on! Ace and his foe chased one another trying to get at each others' tails, and Paris had her sinraptor leap onto her back and bite behind her crest as she tried hard to shake it off!
"This isn't good," Rex narrowed his eyes, "If we waste energy fighting clones and don't figure out the real one, it could get away and we'll never catch it!" He pointed out as they all hardened their expressions finding themselves overwhelmed now despite the initial advantage in numbers.
"Oh dear…." Aki breathed covering her mouth worried, but Spike patted her on the back reassuringly.
"Stay calm Aki, just watch. Have faith in them." he said to her calmly as he got her to focus back on the battle, unaware they were being stalked from behind.
Back at the battle, the D Team narrowed their eyes and hardened their expressions seeing the 3 sinraptors they were fighting had them all backed together. each doing a mock charge to drive them into a tight squeeze so they'd have much less room to move.
Cera however felt something wan't quite right, as she tried her best to think up a possible countermeasure they could use, "Each of them is acting like the original." she noted, "But surely there must be some way to tell them apart….." As she focused on that, Miku soon caught sight of a 4th sinraptor which was sneaking up behind Aki and Spike, as she squawked out in alarm and poitned out for everyone to see, and they widened their eyes in shock. "Mr and Mrs taylor! Behind you!" Cera yelled quickly.
"Hmm?" As they both turned around the sinraptor then flare out its claws and bore its' fangs at them before leaping at them!
"GAH!" Aki cried as Spike went to shield her with his own body!
"Ah! NO!" Max yelled while Zoe and Rex both gasped knowing they couldn't go after them in time.
Cera however, was a completely different story as she quickly took to her dinoshot and returned Miku to a card, "Stay away from them! Dino slash!" she yelled as Miku materialised in full size ontop of a lamppost right above the truck! Screeching out the sinraptor stopped and looked up at her distracted, "Miku! Shed some light on the situation!" Upon Cera's command, Miku cried out and glowed brightly in the secret dinosaur aura, as the blinding light caused the sinraptor to snarl and back away! Covering its' eyes it lost control of its' duplicates which soon exploded into dust as it stumbled about in confusion!
"Hey she did it!" Rex cheered much to Max's relief, "Now it's vulnerable!"
Shaking its head it then began to run away to find cover knowing it couldn't win in now, "It's getting away!" Zoe cried.
"Not on my watch!" Cera yelled as she looked to her partner up above, "Go Miku! Power Siphon!" the microraptor screeched as she swiftly glided down and latched onto the sinraptor behind its' head on its neck! Before it could have a chance to to fight back, she bit into it and glowed brightly, sapping energy from it as it shrieked in pain, thrashing about till she threw it into a wall! Jumping off quick it slammed its' head and fell back disoriented while Miku glided back to Cera and arched on her shoulder. "Alright! We've stopped it!" She cheered pumping up a fist.
"Then it's our turn then!" Max grinned as he grabbed a move card from his hand, "Lightning Spear!" Slashing it Chomp roared and surged with electricity as he charged ahead. The sinraptor had just gotten up to its feet, but before it could get the chance to limp away, Chomp quickly flipped it up into the air and as it fell he delivered a surge of electricity through its chest as it landed upside down on his horns before throwing it down! It growled and twitched as electricity coursed through its' entire body before finally glowing light blue and returning to both a dinosaur and move card.
"YEAH!"
"We did it!" The D Team cheered in victory and their dinosaurs all roared out together in unison.
"Wow….." Aki breathed in sheer amazement, clapping her hands together unable to comprehend what she saw. It was if the 4 children she was disciplining in their house earlier were now completely different people altogether, as they got together and high fived one another and praised one another in victory.
"See what I told you honey?" said Spike to his wife assuringly with a proud smile as he put an arm around her, "The kids really have grown up."
A small smile then came upon Aki's face Spike finished, knowing how right he was, "Yes…..it seems that way….." she admitted wiping a tear away with her finger, "Only they're not kids anymore…." She then sniffled.
Later, as then D Team returned their partners to their small forms and claimed sin raptor's cards, Max looked up and saw his parents together and he quickly rushed over to them, "Mom! Dad!" he cried out as he ran to them, "Are you alright!?" Hearing his voice, the others looked up and saw Max running to Aki and Spike and they followed to make sure they were fine.
Aki nodded, "Yes dear, we are." she said much to everyone's relief.
As Chomp ran up to his leg, Max then realised even if he did save them he had to break a few rules she firmly set up for them as he and the others bowed down, "Mom, I'm….I'm sorry that-"
"No Max," she interrupted using her hand to lift his head to her eyes, "I'm the one who should be sorry." she said as they blinked in surprise, "I was so caught up in protecting you I didn't realise I was actually caging you rather than shielding you." She admitted before smiling proudly at her son, "Now it seems you've broken out of that cage to save me…." She added at the end looking to Rex, Cera and Zoe rather guiltily, "Even after I was so harsh to all of you…."
"Of course we would mom!" Max cried in response, "You were in danger! We'd never let you get eaten by a dinosaur! Never in a million years!"
"We understand you were doing what you thought was right." said Zoe next as she then lowered her head, "And we admit we were wrong to keep you out of the loop for this long too…."
"But still, like you we thought we were dong the right thing keeping it a secret so you wouldn't be worried about us too!" Rex called out.
"We may have our responsibilities but even that shouldn't be an excuse to keep acting on our own without you knowing home everyone else did, it wasn't fair to you." said Cera firmly after them, "So even if you still think it's dangerous, we won't deny it, but we still have a mission to do."
"To protect the dinosaurs and people." Max concluded firmly, "And no matter what others think, say or do we're going to keep at it as long as we can. That's that." He said at the end as they all nodded together and looked at Aki and Spike in the eyes.
After they finished their heartfelt speech, Aki could;t help but feel very moved and touched at how far they would go for their beliefs or stand up against anyone for them as well. She could see great signs of maturity and growth in each and every one of them, "Your father was right, you all really have grown up, maybe going out into the world at such a young age isn't such a bad thing anymore….if anything, perhaps you all have learnt much more these past few months than Spike and I have in years." she said looking to her husband who blushed and grinned mischievously while scratching his head.
"Er hehehe…."
She then put her hand on Max's shoulder as she leaned in to him and the rest of the D Team, "I'll forgive you for lying and going behind my back," she started before bowing down herself, "If you can find it in your heart to forgive me for what I did…."
Max then grinned knowing the answer was obvious, "We already have mom." he said as looked to his friends behind, "Isn't that right guys?" in response they all smiled brightly having the same answer as him.
"Of course."
"Without question.
"You never needed to ask." They each said as Aki bowed down to them all gratefully, feeling an immense weight removed from her shoulders.
"Thank you….." she breathed as she straightened herself up again. "There's still one more thing I need to do." She added much to the confusion of the D Team as she walked past them.
"Huh?"
"I thought I was protecting you from the dinosaurs," she said leaning down to Chomp, Ace, Paris and Miku as they all looked up at her, "But to think they were the ones to protect me in the end…." she chuckled as she gently stroked each of them and they hummed happily, "Chomp, Ace, Paris, Miku….I'm really sorry for what I did to you." she said to them feeling guilty for what she did to them, "Now I see that you all protected my son and his friends this whole time, I was wrong to misjudge you….If it's alright…..maybe we can….start over? Could you….find it in your heart to forgive me?" She asked.
In a flash, the 4 dinosaurs all leapt onto Aki and began nuzzling or licking her, smothering her with not only forgiveness but also friendship and love too, a little more than she could take as she burst into uncontrollable laughter, "Hahahahaha! Stop that! That tickles!"
Everyone laughed with her knowing all was well at last, "Hehe, guess that's a yes!" Max laughed.
"Was there any doubt at all?" Rex followed.
"With all the good food you feed them how could they ever stay angry at you?" said Spike walking up to Aki and the 4 dinosaurs as the D Team managed to yank their partners off her and give her back her space.
"Hahaha, you do have a point." Aki laughed as she brushed off the dirt and spit from herself, "Say I know," she then said as an idea came to mind, "Instead of an apology, how about I whip us all up a very delicious lunch. That way we can forget that this whole mess started out in the first place."
Everyone's eyes brightened up, "That sounds awesome!" Max, Spike and Rex cheered with excited and glistening eyes.
"I'll invite my parents and Reese over too!" Zoe chipped in, "No way would they want to miss out on this!"
Cera folded her arms on her hips and nodded with approval, "Glad we have that all settled now."
"I do love a happy ending when everything works out." said Spike tearing up most emotionally as the 4 dinosaurs ran around them in excitement.
Looking to everyone she could see they were all in the same boat, and Aki nodded knowing she had a big job to do now, "Alright everyone, tine to head for the house. Hope your stomachs are empty because we'll be making a lunch fit for a whole herd of dinosaurs!" she proclaimed as they all jumped up with their arms held high!
"YAY!"
(Meanwhile)
Back on Zeta Point, another family wasn't doing as well as the D Team however. While Rod and Laura were busy working on the main power grid, Ed and Zander, now with Ursula, were running frantically on the large hamster wheel (in sweatshirts or thinner layers) to generate just enough light for the kids to see and work.
Soon however, the trio began to slow down and gasp for air as fatigue and exhaustion soon caught up with them.
"Uff….I'm all tuckered out…." Ed whimpered.
"Gasp! I feel my heart's about to explode…." Ursula wheezed while Zander was beginning to turn blue form lack of oxygen.
Dr Z however wasn't pleased at all as he shot a piercing glare at them which made them all jump, "Keep running you numbskulls!" he ordered, "Or do you want me to give you a little more motivation!?" he threatened as he took out a large whip from his lab coat and cracked it!
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the halls of Zeta Point like a lightning bolt and it was enough to send a shiver down their spines!
"GAH!" The trio gasped as they instantly started running like the wind again! "We're going! We're going!" Running as if their lives depended on it the lights brightened up once more.
"And don't stop until we have power back on!" Dr Z yelled shaking his fist at them.
"B…But Helga's the one who did it, why are we doing this!?" Zander cried.
"Because we all know we can't do anything about her," Dr Z replied calmly folding his arm, "So I've decided to take out all my frustration on you instead!"
"How is that fair!?" Ed whined feeling he could burst into flames at any moment.
"On the bright side we could use the exercise." Zander mentioned which earned him some angry glares from Ed and Ursula.
"Hey! Are you calling me fat!?" Ed yelled.
"When I get off this wheel Zander I'll pulverise you into the ground with a pile driver!" Ursula screamed shaking a fist at him before Dr Z cracked the whip once more!
CRACK!
"GAAAH!"
"Keep running!" he screamed in annoyance as all 3 members of the trio began crying their eyes out at being treated like slaves, though considering all their failures the past few weeks perhaps this was their just punishment.
And thus concludes chapter 17, hope you all enjoyed this. Wanted it to be just between the family and the alpha gang would only complicate things more, still though they will play a serious role next chapter, or to be precise Seth will. Also wanted to showcase Helga still acting berserk and how she inadvertently kept the Alpha gang from interfering this time. As for split attack it shows in the anime how the dinosaur splits in 3 and attacks so thought I might make it better here.
In case anyone was wondering, I intend to have a Lightning and Grass dinosaur appear in later chapters. Also ironic that in order to settle Aki's problems with the dinosaurs she had to be involved in an incident involving one herself. Also if Aki seemed like she acted out of character to some, let's take it as this is new for her.
P.S-When the Drakes had to leave to tend to a cat, it was the brown and white cat the sinraptor chased off which then hurt its' paw running away.
In response to reviews:
Drew Luczysnki
-Aki feels it's a mother's duty to protect her family, which is why she did what she did, thinking that cutting them off from anything dinosaur related would keep the family safe, but she realises that to be an error as shown here. Don't worry about ampelosaurus and stegosaurus, they'll appear next chapter, hope you enjoy what I have planned.