Dinosaur Queen

by HunterHQ

A young girl named Cera and her partner Miku awaken without a clue as to where or when they are, even as to who they are. Join them on their journey as they work together through trials of many kinds to dig up their past and piecing it together, while battling foes across space and even time itself!

22. The Caged Queen

Chapter 22

The Caged Queen

"Urgh…..my head…..I feel like I just got run over by a mad bull." Cera groaned as she slowly came to her senses. She then worked herself up straight against a wall of some sort, with some unusual difficulty as she couldn't quite feel her arms and legs as they normally were. As her eyes slowly began to open, her vision was still blurry and yet when she tried to rub them she felt her arms to be restrained back behind her for some reason. "That's odd…why can't I reach my head?" she muttered to herself feeling disoriented and dazed. By the time she shook her head clear and got the feeling of her limbs again she widened her eyes to realised they were tried together by a strong rope! "Ah! My arms!" she gasped in alarm before seeing the same was done to her legs! "My legs too…they're tied up!" She then gasped before blinking her eyes and eying her surroundings uneasily, "Where am I?"

Looking around she saw herself being inside some sort of holding cell, which was an empty room with dim lighting and a set of bars at the front and nothing more, not the most cosy of accommodations she could tell especially since the bars were very close to her and she didn't have much room to move around even if her legs and arms weren't bound. She looked around in a panic at first, her heart racing as to how she became a prisoner in the first place and even fearing that she wouldn't be able to go home anymore. She soon however took a breath to calm herself down as she decided to take the situation one step at a time, "What happened to me?" She then widened them in realisation. "Wait a sec, the last thing I remember was….."

It was at that very moment a door she couldn't quite see in front of her through the darkness suddenly opened up, surprising her as she quickly turned to look, "AH!" she gasped as a tall male in a trench coat stepped inside and walked right up to her till he stood in front of her at the bars. As his full figure came to view in the light, Cera widened her eyes in shock before hardening her expression bitterly at Seth as he stood before her smirking disgustingly, "You….."

"I certainly hope you've had a good nap." he said to her cruelly "Feeling comfortable? I do apologise if you're not, but things didn't have to come to this if you'd just given me what I wanted in the first place." he added at the end in a mocking tone.

Cera said nothing but continued to shoot a fierce glare at Seth in anger, "…."

Undeterred Seth simply leaned in to get a closer look at his captive, like a rat trapped in a cage and at the mercy of the trapper, "You're a piece of work I'll give you that." he said with a hint of complimenting her, "It wasn't easy tracking you down since you've done an impressive job at covering your trail, and I'm not sure how you pulled it off, but your little system hack did quite a number to our reactor core." he said, "You've been a lot of trouble and costed me much in time and effort, but it should please you to hear that you've been well worth it."

"Grrr….." she gritted her teeth in response at how casually he was throwing his words at her.

"Now now, there's no need for hostility." he said with a calm smile, "We may have had an unfortunate start, but now we have a chance to talk in a more civilised manner." he said with a smirk while she turned away in response.

"Not interested." Cera huffed before opening only a single hard eye at him, "Though I am curious to know, how did you manage to find me?" she then asked, "I was certain I kept my hacking connection clear the entire time the last time I came here with Zoe."

Seth smirked. "A good question indeed." he replied as he paced back and forth at the front of the cell, "Believe it or not, since I couldn't trace back to you I had to rely on more….primitive and unrealistic methods." he explained, "By going back to previous records I was able to determine the location where you and that microraptor first surfaced. Surely you remember this place don't you? Where you met those children and dealt away with Ursula and her team. How ironic my search would actually take me to the place you first began." he said as Cera flashbacked to the time she first met the D Team, was when she stepped in with Miku to save them from the Alpha trio. The thought of him using that very moment when she met her first ever friends to his advantage to capture her filled her with resent towards him as he smirked sinisterly seeing he was rattling her just as he had hoped for.

"I simply had a hunch that somewhere within that area, would be your former base of operations before you met with the D Team, perhaps you may have left behind a clue as to how to find you." he continued, "So I took the liberty of investigating the area earlier today when 3 dinosaurs had appeared, knowing there was a chance you couldn't ignore them and wouldn't be present." He then stopped pacing and looked to her completely, "And my hunch had been justified, when I discovered that cabin hidden in the forest glade, as well as evidence that it was recently used." he said, "I'm not sure what compelled you to break away from your teammates, but I consider that to be the perfect opportunity to capitalise on."

He continued to rub in his insults of tarnishing what may have been Cera's most treasured moment and memory of all in her current life, like salt in an open wound, further angering her as he soon came to the point he was hoping to get to the most, "It was then simply a matter of patience and waiting for when you might return, when your guard may be down." He concluded before grinning with malice at Cera, "Which brings us to here right now."

It was at that point she could feel a chill in the air, her instincts telling, no, screaming to her that Seth was no doubt far more dangerous than she first imagined, and now he no doubt had plans to use her for his own diabolical gain! Her heart began to race anxiously, as she desperately yelled out in defiance, "Tch! Mark my words you won't get away with this!"

"Heh, we'll see." Seth chuckled unconvinced, "I will say this, I know for a fact that your being here and the mysterious appearance of several new dinosaurs can't possibly be isolated incidents. The fact you hold a device capable of summoning dinosaurs without a stone and are in possession of an unknown dinosaur yourself is also something that can't be overlooked." he said, "Yet you say you really know nothing at all about yourself or about how you possess such skill in mastering dinosaurs yourself." He then leaned in to the bars at the front of the cell where he was now less than a few feet from where she was lying on the ground, "Do tell me, who are you really? Where did you come from? And what is it you are keeping from me and your precious little friends hmm?"

She narrowed her eyes and looked away, "Hmph! We've had this conversation before you pscyho." she huffed unwilling to say a word, "Even if I did know anything I'd never talk."

Seth then frowned in disappointment as he stepped back then, "Hmph, I figured you would say that." It was then his expression turned psychotic, as if he expected or worse, hoped she would resist, "Maybe with a little persuasion you'd see things my way." As he said that Cera's heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at him in alarm, senses on alert knowing someone as unhinged as he was would try anything underhanded or despicable to get what he wanted, "As far as I am aware of, your team is your strength not doubt but can also be your greatest weakness." he said as he recalled the time when he had her in his clutches back at the Saint Nazaire Submarine base days ago and how the rest of the D Team were thrown off balance because of it, so perhaps that event was what lead up to this very moment, "I only need one of you to make the others surrender, you can agree with that now can't you?" he said smirking at her.

"Grr!" She gritted her teeth angrily at what he was intending to do, and was about to yell back at him in defiance when he cut her off.

"But I am rather short on time at the moment," he said as his hand began reaching into his trenchcoat suspiciously, "So I'd rather get what I want right here and now, with a far more persuasive and sadly less civil method of doing so." he said as he pulled out a lightning rod from his sleeve, which he switched on and then began sparking with blue lightning all over it!

"Ah!" The sight and sound of the crackling electricity surging through it caused Cera's eyes to widen and her heart to race out of control, as fear soon began to course through every corner of her soul!

Seth noticed this and he grinned almost maniacally as he walked up to her, unlocked the door and opened it as shellacked herself against the wall feeling trapped, "Maybe this should make you more cooperative, or perhaps jog your memories, either way works for me as long as I get something out from you, though if you cooperate nicely it'll be far less….unpleasant for you." he said to her as she began to sweat profusely!

Words couldn't describe how scared she was, and yet she was unwilling to yield as she flashed him a fierce glare, "You wouldn't dare….."

"Hehehe try me….." he chuckled as he raised the voltage to a much higher level than it was making the previous sparks look like simple static electricity in comparison!

Seeing she had no way of escape, Cera took a breath and glared back at Seth preparing herself for whatever torture he would administer yet unyielding to him still, "Go ahead, do your worst, I can take it." she breathed while Seth could only smirk at her bravado thinking it would break easily.

"As I scientist, I enjoy disproving a flawed hypothesis, and now I'm about to do just that." he said as he swung down the rod on her, sending surges of electricity through her as she writhed and screamed in pain and agony!

BZZZT!

"AAAAARARRRRGGGHH!" her cries could only be barely heard from outside the door as she lit up blue with the electricity coursing through her veins and she soon slumped down to the floor weakened and almost out of breath! "Urgh….." She groaned with pain and exhaustion as she struggled to keep her eyes opened, only to see Seth was simply staring down at her with sadism, as if he himself was enjoying the torture he was delivering to her, which made her all the more spiteful of him as she hissed out through her teeth, "You monster…"

Seth ignored her words and instead shut down the power to the rod, "Now, am I to assume that you're ready to speak?" he then asked calmly.

"Grrgh!" She gritted her teeth and spat back at him in anger, "You're no scientist….you're a maniac! You'll get nothing out of me! Willing or otherwise!" She yelled in defiance, "I'll never cooperate with someone like you who wants to twist the dinosaurs to suit his own selfish purposes! Never!" she swore as Seth gained a scowl on his face.

It was from those words he could hypothesise that her spirit was far stronger and more stubborn than he first anticipated, at this rate if he were to continue her own life would give out long before he would get anything out of her. He sighed in disappointment that children could never accept when they were beaten and that it was pointless to continue fighting for a lost cause which they were blind to. His grip on the rod tensed as he held himself back from acting out of anger, before calming himself with a breath to remind himself that in the end Cera was still human, and like all other people she'll break eventually, he just needed to be patient and find the right way to get at her.

He was about to consider kidnapping one of the D Team as a bargaining chip, till he noticed something clipped to her side which caught his eye and interest, "On the contrary, I will be getting from you a far more reliable source than you ever could be." he said as he reached down and took hold of her dinoshot while she was still weak and on the floor!

"AH!" The sight of her device being taken before her caused a burst of energy to revitalise her as she forced herself to sit back up as Seth held up the dinoshot at her, waving it mockingly.

"Hehehe….Perhaps by studying this fascinating device of yours it'll provide some insight into its origin or maybe your own." he chuckled in amusement, "Or maybe it might hold secrets even you are unaware of yourself. I'll certainly be able to maximise its full potential soon enough." he then said as he began stroking it in his other hand.

"Don't you dare! That dinoshot is all that remains of the life I once had! You have no right to take it!" Cera screamed as she forced herself up to her legs to try and to get at Seth, "Give it back!" she tried to jump out at him but with little effort Seth pushed her back down with his other hand as she fell back to the ground back to where she started! "ARGH!" she cried out in pain before glaring back at Seth who had just exited her cell.

"And now it'll serve as a contribution and a sacrifice to the future of dinosaur evolution." he said to her casually as he shut the cage door back at her before she could jump out at him once more, only to hit the bars hard!

"NO!" she screamed out both in pain and frustration before looking up at Seth with spite as he turned his back to her uncaringly.

"You should be honoured I'm putting it to use for such a noble cause." he said flashing it to her, giving her one last good look at it before opening the door to exit.

Cera gritted her "You're despicable…..I swear when I get out of this you'll pay for everything!"

He looked back to her and smirked undeterred, "Say what you want, it will do you no good." he scoffed seeing her display to be nothing more than empty threats, "In the meantime I do hope you'll be own your best behaviour," he said as he opened the door and began to close it behind, "It would be a shame to have to eliminate of someone as valuable as you are. But I won't hesitate to do so should my hand be forced." he said darkly at the end as the door closed behind and Cera was left behind in darkness once more. Inside all sorts of hateful and bitter emotions welled up deep inside, as if buried memories of dinosaurs suffering or being used as tools for evil purposes were beginning to resurface at the back of her mind. She couldn't understand what they were but this man Seth, whose heart was no doubt darker than the abyss itself, was just like the ones who gave her those memories in her past somehow.

"Grr….." she gritted her teeth hard and a single tear of bitterness shed from her eye as she wept painfully while still bound up in her dark cell which was like a pit no one could ever escape from….to her, hope seemed almost impossible now…her cries for help would go unanswered, and now….she was alone and lost…..never again would she see the light and love of her friends…..what a fool she was to have thrown it all away….her hope of even reclaiming the memories she had lost prior to meeting her irreplaceable friends was lost as well….to her….it was…over…

Or so she thought…..

As Seth exited the room in a more pleased mood and carrying a smile on his face align with he dinoshot in his hand, a certain girl soon stepped out from the side and walked up to him from behind, "Umm….Seth?" she said tugging at his coat.

"Hmm?" His smile vanished as he realised he wasn't alone. Turning around and looking down he blinked his eyes in surprise to see it was Laura who had come to him from out of nowhere, "Laura? How long have you been there?" he asked curiously, wondering how much she had picked up on.

Laura then gulped down nervously as she twiddled her fingers and looked away, "Umm….from the moment I saw you take her into that room." she said nervously before looking back at Seth, "What were you doing in there?"

His expression turned serious before looking around to make sure it was just them listening in. With Ursula and the others out and Dr Z sleeping, he only had to worry about Rod and from what he could tell he was nowhere to be found so that meant he was in the clear for the time being, "You didn't hear anything did you?" He then asked.

Laura shook her head in response, "N…No I didn't…honest…." she lied, in fact she heard Cera's cries of agony knowing Seth had did something to her inside there.

He looked back at her with unblinking eyes for a few moments, as she stepped back a bit feeling nervous he then shrugged her off as someone he should;t have to be concerned with, "I see….." he then replied calmly as he then put on an encouraging smile, "I was simply….interrogating her as to the whereabouts of Terry, Tank and Spiny." He then frowned slightly, "But sadly she is unwilling to part with that information. How unfortunate she is holding them captive somewhere like prisoners….." he said at the end in a facade of sadness, where in fact he didn't completely care.

Laura on the other hand was unaware of this, in fact she began to feel conflicted herself, while Cera no doubt was the one who took Terry and the others from them, she questioned herself whether Seth really had to go that far to get the truth out from her.

Looking down at her a thought soon crossed Seth's mind as he smirked at her, "Actually, I just thought of something." he said catching her attention, "Laura I'd like you to go and treat her with hospitality, give her some food and water, perhaps then she'll be more willing to comply."

She blinked her eyes in surprise, "M…Me? Treat her with hospitality?" she asked as she pointed to herself.

Seth nodded, "Yes. Considering she isn't willing to trust my words I believe she'll be more willing to open up with a young child like yourself." he said as he leaned in and stroked her on the head, "Our guest needs a trustworthy friend, someone to share secrets with."

"I take it….you want me to pretend to be friends with her so that she'll talk right?" Laura then asked as Seth smirked at her answer.

"Indeed, I'm counting on you for this, if anyone can get her to speak it's you without a doubt." he said patting her on the shoulder as she looked away momentarily, before tightening her hands into fists and hardening her expression.

"I'll…..do my best Seth." was all she could say knowing that's what mattered the most to her now, as Seth smiled back pleased at her answer.

"I know you will." he said as put the dinoshot into his trenchcoat and began to walk away, "In the meantime, I'll take this in my lab for safekeeping, that way it should also get her to behave herself so she wouldn't cause us anymore trouble."

Laura herself could feel that Seth was indeed hiding something not just from her but even from the rest of the Alpha Gang, and that made her feel quite uneasy. Nevertheless she knew Seth did make a good point on getting Cera to talk so they could get their dinosaurs back, as she walked off down the opposite direction to the kitchen to get some food and water.

(Meanwhile)

Meanwhile at the transport hangar, Terry, Spiny and Tank had just dropped down from Seth's jet and had just managed to work their way out of the garage and exit from the room. Looking around and scanning the corridors for any sign of danger, Miku's eyes turned feral and her feathers ruffled up sensing danger in the air. Terry and the others held back anxiously, feeling unnerved by her sudden aggression, either because she was back in enemy territory or that her partner was taken from her and now in danger, either way she had good reason to be agitated and on guard. As they looked around themselves they felt slightly uneased themselves despite being back home after sometime. Though they couldn't tell what it was, perhaps it was the feeling of wanting to rescue Cera that made their old home seem like a villain's den in a way.

On instinct, Miku sensed that something terrible was happening to Cera, as if she could hear her cries of pain and agony from somewhere inside Zeta Point. Quickly turning over to the other 3 dinosaurs she snarled out angrily as they widened their eyes and jumped in shock! As she began chirping out what seemed to be orders they then lowered their heads accepting her as alpha, which was both humiliating and bewildering considering she was barely half their size yet showed the ferocity of a cornered rat! After squawking out to them a bit more, Terry lowered his head letting her get on as they both hurried on down the pathway deeper into the Alpha stronghold.

Sniffing the air hoping to pick up Cera's trail, they held their noses to the ground letting their senses of smell guide them while Miku kept a look out for any danger. They soon passed by the kitchen entrance and looking in they turned pale at the sight at what Helga was busy cooking. Though they couldn't what was in the pot, by the smell they could tell it was horrible and little did they know it was about to get much much worse….

"First some sugar…." said Helga monotonously pouring in a large cup before grabbing a bag of salt, "Then some salt to balance it out." she said grabbing a solid chunk and then dumping it in! The worse was yet to come as she soon began to add curry, wasabi, mustard and chilli before cooling it down with some mayonnaise and soy sauce! The sight of her chaotic mish mash of ingredients made them all shiver in horror at the monstrosity of a meal she was cooking up as she began stirring the sinister stew with a spoon! It then began to bubble out and suddenly an explosion erupted from the pot which blew back all 4 of the eavesdropping dinosaurs into the back wall!

BOOM!

As they slowly got back up and opened their eyes, looking in they turned pale and their jaws dropped in shock and disbelief to see the kitchen now looked like a war zone! The walls, tables, cupboards, everywhere was charred to a crisp and even some of the plates had fallen down cracking up too! What was even more bewildering was Helga still stirring the stew like everything was still fine, despite being charred black all over herself! Inside the pot was a swirl of purple and brown with chunks of meat or potato floating at the top! It was enough to make any person hurl at first sight or even smell of it! The dinosaurs, who had far better smell than humans did, were on the verge of throwing up themselves the instant they got a whiff of the foul pungent scent of the 'stew'!

Unaffected by it, Helga stuck a finger into the vile brew and tasted it, smacking her lips and waiting for a few seconds she then eyed it with a blank expression before giving her personal feedback on it, "Perfect." Was all she said in her usual robotic tone. At the sound of that, the 4 dinosaurs shuddered and saw that as their cue to leave as they scurried past the door as fast as they could before she would get any ideas of cooking them!

Meanwhile Rod was minding his own business walking down a corridor, folding his arms behind his head and whistling with boredom as he looked around seeing nothing but bare emptiness and silence around him, "Man, it feels so awfully quiet without Terry and the others to liven the place up." he sighed sounding depressed and already missing them more than he first imagined. Like Laura they weren't just friends, they were family too, and to be without them was like missing a piece of himself too. "Not quite the way I wanted to spend New Year's….." before he could finish the chibi dinosaur suddenly ran past him which made him smile lightly in response, "Oh wait there they are, what was I worrying about." he then scoffed with a smirk, before suddenly stopping in his tracks. Blinking his eyes he quickly turned around in alarm, "Wh…What the!?" he saw the hallway was now empty and he shrugged his shoulders thinking he was just hallucinating, "Urgh….man I must be seeing things…." he then moaned rubbing his eyes and blinking them a few times before walking away, "Maybe some homework should keep me busy a bit, should also keep me up till midnight too." he said to himself.

(Meanwhile)

As Cera still lay down on the floor, trapped in a pit of both despair and regret, she almost felt like giving up all hope of her ever seeing Max and the others again, let alone escape, the worst of it all was that she believed she'd never be able to apologise to them for everything they've given her since the day they first met, as countless memories of their times, experiences and adventures together began to course through her mind, which made her grit her teeth in frustration and weep bitterly. Her moment was interrupted however as she heard the door open and the light from the outside corridor shone in causing her to open her eyes and look up.

Stepping inside was none other than Laura, who carried in a tray with water and some cut fruit in a bowl as she walked up to the front of the cell. Her appearance though didn't make Cera feel any better as she looked away from her in spite, "Oh it's you….." she scowled, "How nice of you to pay me a visit. Come to gloat I assume? Or enjoy the sight of your enemy suffering and in degradation?" she then asked bitterly.

Laura then hardened her expression as she closed her eyes and breathed, "Don't flatter yourself." she said, "I only came here because I thought you might like some food and water, and that's it." she said at the end before looking at Cera rather pitifully, "Even if you did cause us a lot of trouble I can't help but feel sick at seeing you like this." she said admitting what was on her mind as she settled the tray down nicely, "I don't think anyone, even you or the D Team deserve this."

Cera blinked in surprise at her words, from what she could tell Laura was being sincere with her and that was what surprised her most of all, "If that's true, then what do I owe the honour of your company?" she then asked raising an eyebrow at her still feeling suspicious of her intentions.

Had to admit even if she caused them so much trouble this was going too far, but felt it had to be done

Laura closed her eyes in thought, inside she was feeling quite conflicted over what was right or wrong. While it was true that Cera and the rest of the D Team had caused them plenty of trouble for the past few months, even she felt their enemies didn't deserve to be subjected to such harsh treatment, but the fact that they did take Terry and the others from them, she did kind of understand that Seth had to use such extreme measures. Shaking her head and clearing her doubts she then put on a rather tough face best she could, "I'm afraid you only have yourself to blame for the state you're in now." she said firmly which put off Cera as she said those words, "We did try to warn you and your friends to stay out of our business, if you had just left us alone and get back all the dinosaur cards we lost then it wouldn't have come to this." Laura added shaking her head in disapproval before opening her eyes, "And I suggest to you start talking,"she then said, "Tell me where you're keeping Terry, Tank and Spiny! Unless you want to make things worse for yourself!" she demanded.

"Worse for myself?" Cera repeated before gritting her teeth furiously and shouting out at the top of her lungs, "How can things be any worse!?" she yelled losing all sense of restraint as the dim light from the upper ceiling shone over her arms and legs, which now had several injuries around them as a reminder of the shocks that she suffered from the Lightning rod earlier!

At the sight of the horrendous wounds she suffered, Laura's heart skipped a beat on sight. This was more than crossing the line, Seth couldn't have done this much just to get their dinosaurs back, and wondered whether that there was something more to this than she first thought.

"As if torturing dinosaurs and experimenting on them wasn't bad enough, I didn't think you people would ever get this low….." Cera continued hissing through her teeth, "You don't deserve any answers. If keeping quiet means they stay out of your slimy hands then I'd rather suffer like this than hand over those 3 or any other dinosaur to disgusting villains like you to experiment on too!" she yelled.

The moment she finished uttering those words, Laura stared speechlessly for several seconds before clenching her hands into fists and shaking them with immense anger, "How dare you….." she breathed as she began gritting her teeth and began shedding a few hateful tears herself.

"Huh?" Cera blinked her eyes in Laura's sudden mood change.

"How dare you say such things!? Never in a million years would we ever do anything like that to Terry and the others!" she screamed, "Don't talk like you understand us!" Cera herself dropped her jaw in shock at the response the little girl threw back at her, "All me and Rod ever wanted was to go home, to our parents…..more than anything in the world….." Laura then sniffled as tears began falling from her cheek to the floor, "And right now, the only one we can count on for that is Seth, he promised us as soon as we get all the cards back he'll take us back!" she cried out loud.

"Seth….said that?" Cera breathed in surprise. Hearing her say that made her ponder over just who the Alpha gang could possibly be, if their technology was greater than anything the world could ever produce now could it be possible that they may not have even come from this world?

"Right now we have no one else to turn to, he's all we have left….." Laura continued bitterly as her fists tightened and shook, "And you and the rest of the D Team continue to keep us away from them by getting in our way and taking our dinosaurs! Now you even have the nerve to steal our 3 best friends!?" she cried out loud, "Everyday we've worried sick about them, every waking moment we couldn't sleep or rest knowing they were out there, then to hear they were stolen by you to be used against us! You don't know what it's like! To be kept away from your family for what seems like forever! You dare to say we're despicable when you keep our friends away from us like prisoners!? What a laugh!" she shouted as tears continued to fall from her cheek and splash to the floor filled with emotion, "So don't talk like you know us because you don't know anything!" she concluded before turning away and folding her arms

"Friends…." Was all Cera could mutter unable to say anything back to her. From each word she uttered, she could tell they were all sincere and filled with genuine sorrow in them, as much as she was feeling now. A feeling she never thought she would experience from any member of the alpha gang at all. It was then she was beginning to realise that to them, Terry and the others were just like how Chomp and company meant to Max and the D Team….there was no way a child like her s pure and innocent could ever harbour malice or ill intent in her own heart, and that she and her brother Rod were more than likely doing what they each sincerely believed was right. It was then with guilt in her own heart, she began to realise that she and maybe even the rest of the D Team were taking them the wrong way, as she took a breath and sighed deeply, "I'm sorry…..I didn't know…." she said looking away while Laura still huffed uncaringly, though what she said next was about to change her mind, "Still, compared to me you're actually lucky." she then said at the end which surprised the young girl as she turned around in confusion.

"Wh….What?"

Cera then curled in herself and lowered her head down in sadness, "Unlike you I don't even remember who I am or where I came from to begin with. I only came upon the D Team by chance one day, and they were kind enough to take me in when I had no one else." she explained, "We've grown together these couple of months and we've been close but never as close as a true family." she said with a short smile before it passed and was replaced with sorrow, "And yet, because of something Seth did I was forced to part ways with them so that they wouldn't get hurt because of me." she said sounding depressed and regretful of her actions. Something which Laura herself didn't know how to respond to properly as she listened, "Now I see I was wrong about that, and I'm in my position now because of my mistake…I turned away from them an now I don't really have anyone else to go back to…." Cera then sniffled as the feelings of regret were starting to eat away at her own heart, as she tightened herself before looking up at Laura, "At least you and Rod, you both have a family to look forward to coming back to in the end while I don't."

Laura said nothing back to her but listened.

It was then that Cera opened her eyes seriously to Laura as she began to say her point, "But, one thing I do know is that I can't allow innocent dinosaurs to fall into the hands of anyone that would abuse them or see them as nothing more than animals or worse tools." she explained, "You said you were willing to let Seth alter the dinosaurs so you could use them to get others back. But wouldn't that also mean your own dinosaurs could also be experimented on against their will too? Would you want that at all for them if you really cared for them that much?"

Her statement caught Laura completely off guard as she couldn't find anyway to disagree with her logic, "Th…That's-"

"It's because of that I thought that they were suffering under your ownership, and that's why I chose to save them when they were abandoned." said Cera next which made Laura blink her eyes in confusion.

"Saved…them? Abandoned? What are you-"

Cera then forced one of her hands into her back pocket despite the difficulty and strain the ropes put on her she knew she had to show Laura the truth as she finally got ahold of what she needed inside it, "Urgh…." she grunted writhing and wriggling with determination before pulling out a couple of what appeared to be small photos which she then placed on the floor, "Here, maybe this should change your mind." she said sliding them to the bars, as Laura curiously reached for them and picked them up.

As she looked through them her eyes widen in shock and surprise at what she saw, "Ah…" each photo depicted the many fun things Cera and Miku had been doing with their 3 dinosaurs within the past few days that they were under her care, how they played and bonded with one another and had each others' backs. It was the kind of fun that Laura and her brother often had when they played with them, or perhaps, maybe even better too. What she saw was irrefutable proof that Cera was indeed telling the truth, because the expressions on their faces in each photo was heartfelt and genuine, "They're so…..happy….." Laura sniffled feeling touched by what she saw, feeling emotion well up from the bottom of her heart, all this time she believed that Cera had kidnapped their dinosaurs against their will and may have been mistreating them, but what she saw was the complete opposite of everything she thought she'd be…..

"If anyone's to blame it's Ursula and those 2 buffoons." Cera explained, "They ditched them in Indonesia in order to save their own skins. If it wasn't for me they'd still be abandoned all alone on that island by now." she said as Laura's mouth opened widely and she gasped speechlessly at this newfound revelation.

"….."

"In the end you're still right Laura….I don't know anything about you guys at all. At least, not all of you….." she said painfully before looking up at her, "But I do know that you can't do this. If your parents realised what you all were doing to dinosaurs, to people too, have you thought about how they would feel if they knew the truth and what was happening now?"

"Ah!" Laura's eyes widened in shock at the thought.

"Would you ever be able to look at them in the face again?" Cera then asked once more as Laura herself felt even more unsure of herself and conflicted, even starting to regret some of the things she and Rod did to the D Team before….

As she said that, Laura then lowered her head in defeat, unable to say anything in her defence and only now realising that what she and Rod had done and always aimed for was in a way selfish, if their parents ever found out the truth of what they did they'd never be the same again as when they first left….."Urgh….." she sighed feeling guilt and regret in her own heart over what they did this entire time.

It was then that Cera lowered her head in humility as she began to confess that she herself may have been in the wrong to some extent too, "I'm sorry for not understanding, and I'm more sorry for not being able to help you and your brother see your parents…." she admitted before looking up at Laura with a smile, "But I can help reunite you with your dinosaurs if that's what you really want." she then said.

"H….How?" the pink haired girl asked curiously and also with suspicion.

Cera's expression then turned serious, "Help me get out of here and I'll give them back to you. I swear on every fibre of my being." she said firmly

Laura said nothing at first as she stared back at Cera for a few seconds before sensing that there was a chance Cera could keep her word, "Do you…really mean that?" her expression then narrowed, "How do I know if this isn't some kind of trick?" she asked with suspicion.

"I promise it's nothing like that in the slightest." said Cera back to her, "I can't prove it now, but once I get my dinoshot you'll have them back before you know it." she said before smiling at her, "Besides, I know now you and Rod are good people and that this isn't right." she said shaking her head before eying her seriously, "And that I'm the best chance you have at getting them back…." she concluded at the end with a firm expression to show was dead set and serious about this.

At the end, after processing everything she witnessed and heard from Cera's side of things as well as reflecting upon what she and Rod had done too, Laura then looked to the captive member of the D Team before her eyes as she gave her answer to Cera, "I….."

(Later)

Not long after, Seth was walking down the corridor towards the prison holding cell with a disgusting smirk on his face, feeling most confident and full of himself having made a breakthrough in his research due to a small sample of data he had just acquired from a special source, and his imagination was running wild excitement over the new potential leaps he could achieve given the time. Now though, his mind was more focused on another matter that needed tending to, "By now Laura must have been able to have gotten at least a bit of information out of that stubborn girl Cera." he thought to himself as he unlocked the doors and it began to open, "Being such a young and innocent child, I have faith in her talents that she should-" As the lights went on in the cell he widened his eyes slightly in surprise at whom he saw behind the bars!

"MMPH!" Laura cried muffled through a piece of cloth covering up her face while HER own arms and legs were now tied up in rope!

The sight was something Seth didn't expect in the slightest! "What!?" Recovering from his initial shock he quickly pressed the open switch on the wall to unlock the cell doors, as he went in and quickly removed the cloth covering her face, "Laura! What happened!?" he demanded with a firm and angered expression, out of concern for Laura but mostly out of frustration as to how she had let Cera get away from her when she was helpless.

Laura was taken aback by Seth's sudden outburst, before tearing up slightly and choking on her breath as she tried to force out the words she wanted to say, "Sh…She tricked me Seth! Then she left me in here before running out! I…I'm sorry!" She said in a pleading tone begging for mercy.

Seth himself gnashed his teeth angrily, and was tempted to take his frustration out on the young girl, only to hold himself back at the last moment as he calmed himself down with a breath, "I…understand….." he said calmly as he stood up, realising Laura in the end was still but a child and young, so it shouldn't have been surprising she'd have been deceived herself.

Laura felt more at ease seeing he was in a better mood, but nevertheless she could sense there was no doubt something wrong and unsettling with him. Something she was only beginning to realise but had a feeling Seth had kept to himself for a long time…..

He then turned to her and smiled with reassurance, he held a hand to her and she closed her eyes fearing the worst, only to see him put a hand on her shoulder to her relief, "Don't fret about it, she won't get far, in fact she won't get off Zeta Point at all." he said before a slight smirk came on his face, "Not while I have anything to say about it." he said in a rather malicious tone which made Laura's heat skip a beat as he walked out of the room and she nervously followed him. Stepping outside he pressed several command codes in a controller, activating several droids nearby and putting them on alert as they began patrolling the hallways searching for the escapee.

"You should go and hide somewhere, leave this to me." He then said to Laura looking down to her, "Rest assured I'll make sure she tells us where she's keeping Terry and the others captive, you have my word." he said as she nodded uneasily.

"Y…Yes Seth….thank you…." she said as she turned around and began to trail off back to her room. After putting enough distance between herself and Seth, she then swallowed hard and closed her eyes, "I sure hope I don't regret this…." she thought to herself as she looked back down the hallway, in which Cera had left…..

(Meanwhile)

"Alright, Laura said the closest entrance to Seth's lab should be up ahead…..I just hope she isn't lying and that this isn't a trap…." Cera on the other hand meanwhile was racing down as fast as she could down the hallway in the directions she was just given and in her heart she prayed hard that this wasn't a trap or any kind of trick, but this was her only chance she had if she was to get her dinoshot back from Seth and whatever plans he had for it and her. Her expression hardened with determination as the corridor lightning became darker and darker till eventually she came upon an elevator door. Observing it carefully she then narrowed her eyes at what she found, "This looks like it…." she thought to herself. She reached for the button to open the doors but hesitated for a moment, having second thoughts before shaking her head clear and wiping out all doubts she had, "Made it this far, might as well go through." She said to herself pressing the button, causing the doors to open and she stepped in before they closed again and began to descend.

As the doors opened Cera widened her eyes as she stepped into the lab, for the second time, and saw that her dinoshot was hooked up to several wires with data being transferred out of it and into another computer! "There it is!" she widened her eyes as she quickly rushed over to the console. Eying the machine carefully to ensure there weren't any booby traps or alarms rigged into it, she reached her hand out and carefully began disconnecting the wires one by one, till she slowly took her device back from it. "Alright got it…." she breathed cautiously with relief after checking it and seeing there wasn't any kind of damage to it at all nor anything out of the ordinary either. Looking over to the computer she narrowed her eyes seeing that despite her best encryptions and firewalls Seth did manage to get a handful of data from it, data she didn't even know was inside, and she narrowed her eyes knowing in Seth's hands they couldn't be anything good in the slightest, so she couldn't just leave it as it was, "Now to-"

INTRUDER! INTRUDER! INTRUDER!

Turning around she widened her eyes to see an army of alpha droids of different varieties soon entered the lab room nearly from all entrances and had her surrounded like a pack of wolves to a deer with no way of her to escape! "Oh man this is just what I don't need…." she said tensely as a drop of sweat dripped from her cheek with anxiety! They then raised up their arms and held them out, stepping in closely and menacingly towards her, as they continued to tighten their formation around her! Cera gritted her teeth in frustration as she found herself cornered and her enemies closing in on her with every passing second! "These things are everywhere, just how do they keep building these things, and from what?" she muttered to herself cursingly. Realising she couldn't do anything about the data Seth stole from her, she realised all she could do now was to save herself, and without her dinosaurs to protect her she knew she only had 1 option left to her as sh got into a defensive stance and held out her fists ready for a fight as she gritted her teeth in frustration, "Grrgh, guess there's no choice but to-"

SQUAWK!

RAARGH!

"Huh!?" The sounds of familiar cries echoed through the lab as the droids turned around and jumped out of the way of Terry, Tank and Spiny's charge at them! Clearing a straight path to Cera they all barked and wagged their tails happy and relieved to see her safe and alive, most of all Miku as she hopped down from Terry's head and squawked with joy opening her arms wide open to her! "Miku! And Terry, Spiny! And Tank too!" Cera cheered as she picked her up and hugged her closely to her cheek while the little raptor nuzzled back at her, "Oh you don't know how happy I am to see you again…." she teared up as they looked into one another's eyes before she put her partner back on her shoulder where she belonged. After that she looked down to the other 3 dinosaurs as they looked up at her and she smiled gracefully as she kneeled down to stroke them all, "You came back….." she said feeling touched and relieved to be with them again as they nuzzled up against her and they cooed.

They didn't have much time to enjoy the moment, as the droids soon regrouped and surround the bunch once more, this time rushing at them all at full force! Seeing it, Cera quickly put on her game face as she stood firm, no longer afraid now that she had her friends by her side, "Let's save the reunion for later, right now we've got to get through." she said looking down to them, "You guys okay with this?" Without hesitation they all barked eagerly, also believing this was a good chance to finally take out their frustrations on the metallic morons at last. Cera grinned seeing she had their full support as she returned them all to their cards, "Alright then, let's do this! Dino slash!" Miku soon materialised on her shoulder in full form while Terry, Spiny and Tank appeared as well and roared ferociously causing the droids to panic and back away!

"Miku! Energy equaliser!" Cera commanded as she tossed the microraptor up into the air and she let out 3 streams of energy from her body which then entered into Terry, Spiny and Tank as they all surged with power and roared out in anger before charging forth and scattering the droids! "Alright! Time to clean house!" She grinned as she pointed ahead and the dinosaurs charged out, flattening or bowling over any droids stupid enough to get in their way, and that was a lot of droids that were soon smashed into pieces underfoot, sent flying by tail swipes or crunched up in massive jaws! As they punched a massive hole through the lab with little effort they soon made it out into the hallways and as they rushed forward they were met with more bulkier super droids which then rushed out at them!

Yet the team stayed strong, powered up by determination to protect one another and their trust in each other, inspired in them by Cera, they ploughed on through the droids with little effort despite their enemies' numbers! "Alright! Keep it up you guys! We'll get through this!" Cera cheered them on while Miku kept squawking out at them on her shoulder spurring them to keep going. Suddenly a pair of droids sidestepped away from Spiny's foot as they tried to jump at Tank while she was off focus! Luckily Cera noticed this as she quickly reacted, "Tank! On your right!" she warned as the saichania heard her and quickly swung her tail at the incoming droids sending them into the wall and smashing against it!

Later a bunch of droids suddenly jumped out at Spiny, and with their combined weight and power they smothered him before bringing him down to his knees as he roared out in pain! "Terry! Go help Spiny!" Cera yelled and Miku squawked as he turned around to see his comrade being under attack! Roaring ferociously he then charged ahead and with a sweep of his head he bashed out a number of them allowing Spiny to shake the rest off before they began stomping on or crunching up the droids that were scattered! "Terry! Watch out!" Cera cried out as a droid jumped up to dry and deliver a swift punch to Terry's face, luckily Spiny returned the favour for Terry's earlier rescue as he pushed Yerry out of the way and swung out his claws and cleaved the droid in half! "Nice move Spiny." Cera cheered holding a thumbs up as he roared out and the 3 of them continued to take out the trash!

Unbeknownst to her, Laura was watching the entire battle unfolding from a corner behind them, as she stared in awe and amazement at what see was seeing, "I don't believe it….." they open their hearts and trust to her, also unified with one another in heart, mind and soul. Something she had never seen before even when she and Rod used them, "The way she's commanding them, supporting them…how she got them all to be working in such harmony with one another….." she breathed staring speechlessly at how efficiently they fought in sync with each other and how they obeyed Cera without question and almost perfectly too, "Terry and the others don't open up to just anyone, I think I understand why Seth was so interested in her, she was a way with the dinosaurs I don't think anyone else has ever reached…." she then realised.

RETREAT! RETREAT! THEY'RE TOO STRONG! TOO STRONG!" The remaining droids all cried out in a panic backing away from the carnage and wreckage of their fallen brethren while the 3 large dinosaurs snarled menacingly at them. Realising they were outmatched and outgunned in every way possible they all retreated and out of sight as the dinosaurs all roared in victory and Cera took a sigh of relief as she wiped some sweat from her brow, "That should take care of them for now." She said believing the worst was over as she pressed a button, returning the 4 dinosaurs to cards before slashing them into their chibi forms. As Miku materialised on her shoulder and the others in front, they ran up to her and barked with excitement and joy to see her in 1 piece as she smiled warmly at them and knelt down to pet them all on the heads, "You all did great, thank you. I wouldn't have made it out of that jam without you guys." she said as they bean licking her face with affection, "Hahaha, I'm alright thanks." she laughed in a jolly mood as the group celebrated their moment of victory and peace at last, unaware that someone was walking up to them from behind.

"Umm…Terry? Tank…Spiny?" a rather shy and quiet voice squeaked catching their attention.

"Hmm?" As they all turned around, they were surprised to see none other than Laura, who was twiddling her fingers together as she felt a bit guilty for intruding upon their moment but couldn't contain herself from wanting to see them again, "Laura!" Cera gasped as she stood up. The 3 dinosaurs with her were shocked as much as she was to see the little girl once more, also unable to respond properly to one of their owners seeing them fight alongside someone who should be their enemy. Seeing no point in beating around the bush, Cera then stepped forward and showed them to her, "I promised you'd see them again like I said." she said

"Y…Yes you did…" Laura nodded uneasily before looking down at the 3 dinosaurs who staring back at her awkwardly, "But….." she looked to them hoping they'd come back home. The dinosaurs could tell what she was thinking, and in their hearts that's what they wanted for a long time….and yet now that it had arrived, they didn't know if they could go through with it. Looking to Cera, they were eternally grateful for everything she had done and given them, and they knew going home would meant they'd have to fight her again on opposite sides, and they weren't sure if they could handle that. Inside their hearts an inner struggle over what they should do was warring within them. As they looked to Cera and Laura unable to decide what they should do, because either way it was a hard choice to make and they couldn't make one without feeling regret for not choosing the other. On their faces came expression of pain and conflict as they kept looking to each side continuously, while Laura herself was feeling anxious over what they would decide for themselves….

Seeing how they were feeling, Cera and Miku looked to one another and nodded, realising this was it. With a smile and a single, almost unnoticeable which shed from her eyes, Cera ushered the 3 dinosaurs to move as she gave them each a slight nudge and they looked back to her in surprise. "Go on you guys. Go back to her, I know you want to more than anything else." she said to them as they gave out sad whimpers in response before looking back at Laura then to Cera again, "You always belonged here with Rod and Laura, you know this was bound to happen eventually." she said smiling at them warmly as tears were beginning to form in her eyes as well as Miku's

"H…Huh?" Laura herself looked on puzzled as to what she was doing, till Cera turned her back to the 3 dinosaurs unable.

"Please, just go….the longer you stay the harder it'll be to say goodbye….for all of us…." she said to them painfully, gritting her teeth and also clenching her fist. Like Max and the others she too had grown attached to Terry and the others, having developed a newfound respect and even a bond with them over their short period of time, only now she knew where their true place was and the right thing to do as well. "Go on, all that matters is that you're happy, and your real owners too." she sniffled, "And I do know that nothing makes you all happier than to be with them."

As she said her last words, the 3 chibi dinosaurs soon began to realise that they'd only make her even more sad if they were to stay longer, and finally with a heavy heart, after honouring and treasuring their last few moments together they turned around and raced back towards Laura whose eyes widened, "Ah!" opening her arms wide open she welcomed them into her embraced as they jumped on and nuzzled in closely to her, "Terry! Spiny! Tank!" she cried out joyful tears as she welcomed them all home, before laughing out at them tickling her all over as they began licking her face all over, "Oh how I missed you 3 so much….welcome home…." she then sniffled emotionally before hugging them in, "It's a miracle….."

Meanwhile Cera felt her heart touched to see such a warm reunion between family, which reminded her that that was something she had to do as well with her own. Smiling and wiping away one last tear, she and Miku nodded at one another as they turned around to leave them be. She was about to begin dialling the teleporter on her dinoshot when Laura spoke to her, stopping her at the last minute,, "Thank you….you really did keep your promise…after everything…." she said with gratitude before a confused expression came on her, "But still….You're returning them to us…..just like that? Even if that means we'll be enemies again?" she asked.

Cera nodded back, "I gave them my word too." she said as she end the 3 dinosaurs in Laura's hands, "I heard their side of the story, they really love you guys so much they could never dream of parting ways with you ever." She then closed her eyes and shook her head, "It just wouldn't be right if I were to be against their deepest wishes, I'd be no better than a thief if I didn't respect them at all." She explained as Laura stared speechlessly at Cera's words and also how selfless she was towards the dinosaurs, to just her own but even ones that were once enemies, in the end it didn't matter, she saw all dinosaurs as equals and as sign as they were happy she'd be happy with whatever choice they made too. "Just promise me one thing." She then said at the end seriously.

"What's that?" Laura then asked curiously in response.

Cera then smiled, "Promise me you'll take good care of these 3." was all she said which surprised the young girl, "They're all very special dinosaurs, it would destroy me if anything bad were to happen to them." she said nodding at the 3 of them who looked back at her, before she turned her attention to Laura, "Promise that you'll protect them no matter what, don't let them under any circumstance get mistreated in any way by anyone else, that's all I ask from you in return." she then asked seriously.

"I….." Laura then shook her head shaking off whatever doubts were in her mind as she nodded firmly back at Cera, giving her word to her, "I will…..you can count on it." she said as Cera nodded back with a smile acknowledging the promise as genuine. "I guess I was wrong about you too…..maybe the same can be said for your friends as well…." said Laura after as she looked away with embarrassment.

"Heh, that makes 2 of us." Cera chuckled before looking back at her 3 friends who were feeling rather hurt to part ways as they eyed her with sadness before running up to her to Laura's surprise. They looked up at Cera and barked pleadingly, but she then shook her head and smiled at them with reassurance, "Terry, Tank….Spiny….you know that this is where you belong. And like a really fun ride, as much as you enjoy it, it has to eventually come to a stop at the end." she said kneeling down to them, "Even though our time together was short, Miku and I enjoyed every second of it with no regrets." she said as she began stroking their heads one by one, developing a deep connection with each one as they made contact with one another, "I sure do hope we meet again, even if we are to be enemies again, I sure hope we can at least stay friends in each others' hearts." As she said that they each barked and wagged their tails happily as she chucked in response. "I'll take this as a yes." she said as she typed a button on her dinoshot and she began to glow in light. As she did, Laura went up to the 3 dinosaurs as they began to say their goodbyes to one another, "Take care you all."

"Mhmm." Laura nodded as she waved out to her, "Goodbye! Have a happy new year! And thank you very much!" she said while Terry, Tank and Spiny barked out, "Whatever happens now, I do hope you find what you're looking for."

"You too." Cera nodded before finally vanishing from sight in light. The 4 of them stared at the spot Cera had just vanished, and her last few words continued to echo within the depths of their hearts and minds, words that they would treasure and honour for a very long time.

"Laura!" a voice suddenly called out to them, interrupting their train of thoughts and catching them by surprise.

As Laura stood up and the 3 dinosaurs hid behind her, she widened her eyes at the person walking up to her, "Ah! Seth!" she gasped as Seth came upon the scene, shocked to see the huge mess and remains of metal scattered around from the aftermath of the battle just now. Seeing nothing but damage and destruction around he then looked over to the young girl with a somewhat angered expression, "What happened!? Have you seen where she went?" he then asked in a rather demanding attitude.

Laura gulped nervously, worried about what Seth would do to her if she tried to lie to him, and after remembering his previous immoral acts of torture to Cera just now she had a feeling that he might even do something like that to her or the others in the Alpha gang without hesitation too. Seeing no other way she decided to admit the truth as best she could without giving anything away, "She….got away with her device Seth….I tried to stop her but couldn't….I'm sorry….." she said meekly.

Seth stared at her firmly as she sweated nervously at his pricing glare which was enough to chill anyone's soul. After a bit he then calmed slightly as he closed his eyes, "I see….." he then said in disappointment.

"But-" As she said that Spiny, Tank and Terry ran out from behind her and they barked out which surprised Seth unexpectedly as he stepped back, "I did manage to get Terry, Spiny and Tank back! Here they are!" she cheered and smiled as the dinosaurs looked up at the blue haired man with suspicion sensing there was indeed something up with him like Cera felt instinctively.

The news of their return brought a small smile to his face much to her relief, "I see, that's great news indeed." he said.

"Yeah, so there's something to be happy about right?" Laura grinned keeping her facade of joy up.

"Yes there is….." he nodded as he reached down and stroked her head, "Good for you Laura, I'm certain your grandfather will be overjoyed to hear this news." As he said that, Laura felt uneasy about him putting his hand on her, the very same hands he used to torture an innocent person not long ago. "Run off and tell him, and don't fret about our escaped…guest….there will be other chances, for now let's just celebrate the return of your dinosaurs and for the New Year to come." he then said to her.

Without hesitation she nodded, "Sure! Will do! I'm sure Rod, Ursula and the others will be so happy to hear this too!" she cheered as she looked down to Terry, Tank and Spiny, "Come on guys, let's give grampa a big surprise!" They then barked happily as they ran down the corridor towards Dr Z's bedroom. Though in fact, she was hoping to get away from Seth as fast as possible, while also processing everything that happened within the pas tour, and the revelation that was brought to her as well, "After everything that's happened….I don't know what to think anymore…." she thought looking back to see Seth walking away, "He's up to something…but just what?" she thought with suspicion narrowing her eyes as he disappeared into the darkness.

Not long after Seth soon reentered his lab and scowled seeing the data download from Cera's dinoshot was less than 20% as he began to type away at it in annoyance over the failure when he came so close, "Cera escaped somehow….how unfortunate….perhaps I can't rely on anyone but myself it seems…." he said to himself in a rather disappointed tone before calming himself with a breath, "No matter, with the data I acquired from her device I'll definitely be able to make some monumental leaps in my experiments from here on." Typing a few more keys the screen lit up displaying several formulas and data he had just acquired from the dinoshot and one of which depicted the possibility of reviving dinosaurs from fossils and another even being able to implement the same dinosaur summoning function as the stones without requiring the need for them!

Something even he couldn't imagine was possible as he could potentially give life back to dinosaurs that have perished and even have them reborn in ways that would surpass any naturally evolved life form on the planet! The thoughts coursing through his mind caused him to widen his eyes and grin maniacally, "Very soon, I'll usher in a new age of dinosaurs with an entirely new superior breed, and then they will take back their rightful place as the world's true masters! AHAHAHAHAHAH!" he then laughed out loud as his sinister voice echoed through the halls of his laboratory as soon his experiments would give rise to a forbidden power the world has never seen before….

(Meanwhile)

As a light shone on the hill overlooking Sanjo City, Cera and Miku stepped forth onto the city's soil, feeling the cool breeze of New Years blowing on them, as if they were welcoming the 2 of them back home after a long journey. "Here we are Miku, I never thought coming back here would be so good." said Cera as she began step further out, enjoying and treasuring each step she took and feeling a sense of serenity wash over her, that a weight was lifted from her heart and shoulders knowing they could return home and be safe at last with their friends and family. Looking down they could see the many lights of the city shine brightly all around as they heralded the arrival of the New year which was to take place in less than an hour.

To Miku and Cera they could see it too as the city welcoming them back with open arms as they smiled feeling joyful at long last, "Well, Max and the others have probably been waiting for us for a very long time, let's not-" Before she could finish her sentence a massive explosions suddenly flared up from the streets down below! It caused a plume of smoke and fire so large they could see it from the hill above!

BOOM!

"What the-!?" The explosion sent a shockwave so powerful they could feel it rumble beneath their feet! Widening their eyes in shock and horror they could hear the sounds of destruction, people screaming and even a loud roar echoing from down below as a few more smaller explosions began trailing off from the main one they saw! One they they could tell, was that there was trouble in their city home now and it would be a matter of time before the New Year being welcomed would be one of chaos and fire! "This is bad….." Cera said to herself before putting on a more serious expression and running down the hill towards the fire, unwilling to let it or its people suffer a second longer.

And there goes part 1 of the end of the year arc, stay tuned for part 2 for what happens on the D Team's end and hope you enjoyed this. Also it's through scanning the dinoshot, Seth gained the knowledge to revive dinosaurs from fossils, like in the DS game, which will play a role in season 3 when it comes, as well as the data he needs to make copy stones too. Also wanted to make it more meaningful too on the reviving dinosaurs from scratch idea too which the anime didn't address. Also wanted Laura's suspicion and distrust of Seth to grow gradually as well, with this being the one to peak at it before going on to Full Scheme Ahead.

Next chapter will feature what the D Team were doing during Cera's short timespan of being Seth's captive and the trouble they now got themselves into. Stay tuned as the New Year End special draws to a close!

In response to reviews:-

Drew Luczynski

-Well Terry and the others been with Rod and Laura a lot longer than Cera has and they can never be replaced in their hearts, it's natural they'd want to go back to them at some point knowing they will take care of them even with the trio and Dr Z, but there has been some development shown here before they part ways and will play a role later on in season 2. Seth actually used the trio as a way to distract Cera so he can track down her location.

pokemonking0924

-Glad you liked it, also same goes for Rex at Easter islands and Max at Sanjo City bay.

What Seth actually did was track down the location Cera once did when she first appeared with Miku on the day she first met the d team and while the 3 dinosaurs were out he did some scouting and after finding the lodge he waited for the right moment to seize her after she came back.