Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters, any of the vivosaurs or characters (Except for Creed), and am simply writing this for my own amusement.
A/N: As the sequel to my previous fic, Dark Horse Gambit, this story will continue building up on the foundation I have already laid down. It shall detail the adventures of novice Fossil Fighter Vestello Leoncor as he competes in the infamous Caliosteo Cup. What sort of troubles will he face? You are welcome to read and find out.
Acknowledgments: Firstly, I would like to thank Devaro Ayanami for his wonderful help as both my Beta and my sounding-board. Secondly, I would like to thank Tempest Bound for encouraging me to post this story now, rather than later. Thirdly, I would like to thank Vathara for all the wonderful stories, which I highly recommend you read, he has posted. Reading them has helped me find ways of expanding my own writing style.
Chapter 1
To the Island II
From: Harmattan
Subject: Thanks
The backpack's great, thank you.
I can sort of understand when you say that Joe Wildwest is an Earth-affinity Fossil Fighter, but could you be a bit more specific? Do all Fighter's have a affinity or do only some? Do you have an affinity? Do I have an affinity? Does an affinity affect a Fighter's ability to use vivosaurs?
/\/\/\
That was fun. Riding a cloud of elation, his feet carried him, on autopilot, through the lobby. Packed safely in his sling backpack—a gift from Leveche—his Fossil Case was completely laden with fossils.
He could see why Leveche described fossil hunting with such fondness. It was hard, sweaty work but really worth it in the end. His muscles only ever burned like that after a few hours of free-running. And he even got a fossil battle out of it!
It had been against a Fighter using an earth-aligned vivosaur called a 'Raja'. Big, strong, and almost as nasty as Vicious on a bad day, he'd had his work cut out for him. But in the end Regal—Vicious hadn't been used due to his weakness to earth vivosaurs—had successfully taken down the giant theropod.
That one fight was harder than every match in the preliminaries.
A door whooshed open for him.
And that was just an average Fighter here on the islands-
"Hello!"
Amber met mechanical blue optics. Er…what?
"Oh-" Stella leaned around the hovering robot. "—hello, Vestello." A smile. "What perfect timing you have. We just finished readying everyone's favorite fossil-cleaning partner."
The robot waved a spindly limb. If it had had a mouth it would have undoubtedly been grinning.
"Say hello to KL-33N!"
KL-33N? That sounds familiar…
"Pleased to meet you." The robot bleeped. "I am KL-33N, at your service." Whirring, it spun in place. "Please speak to me if you wish to clean your fossil rocks." A surprisingly smooth bow. "You may trust me with the storage and reviving of even your most precious fossils."
Well…that'll make things simpler.
And did those optics actually look apologetic?
"I do not yet have enough experience with you to clean your fossils on my own, but if I observe you doing so, I can gain that ability as well. Once I absorb enough of your knowledge, I will be able to clean fossil rocks on my own!" Another bow. "I am looking forward to working with you!" A second pirouette.
"This little guy will be a great help on your adventure." Stella grinned, patting a hand against shining metal. "The more you clean, the more he'll learn from you. And believe me-" A conspiratory wink. "—he can learn a lot. And once you get more vivosaurs, you can organize them into teams with a Vivosaur Management Machine."
Stepping away from KL-33N, Stella pointed at a second machine the size and shape of a vendor.
"This is a Vivosaur Management Machine, or VMM for short." She glanced back at him. "Basically it stores Dino Medals for Fighters, which is strongly advised because carrying dozens of medals everywhere you go can be a real hassle."
'Strongly advised', that means using the VMM is optional. The thought of being separated from his future vivosaurs made him nervous for some reason-
A faint wisp of alert orange tickled the corners of his awareness as Vicious's link surfaced.
A scoff of disdainful burgundy streaked across a span of annoyed pale reds.
::Stay with you. No exceptions. Don't forget.::
-Ah, that would explain it. And judging from similar colors, tinged with pale green apprehension, coming from Regal both vivosaurs were in accord. Maybe they didn't dislike each other as much as they tried to show…
"Oh!" Stella clapped her palms together. "And when you're at a dig site, you may see an orange-colored VMM. Those have a warp system built in."
…Warp system?
"The warp will transport you back to town instantly. It's actually pretty handy, if I do say so myself."
A slow blink of amber. Very convenient, I wonder why Leveche never mentioned it…
"Okay." Stella stepped back. "You should be getting back to the digging and the cleaning so you're ready for your Round 1 match. If you're having trouble digging, you might consider upgrading your sonar at the shop. I recommend a bigger screen as your first purchase. It will let you see fossil rocks over a much wider area."
Upgrades… Definitely something to keep in mind.
"Anyway, there's a shop in the Fossil Guild if you want to swing by and see what they have." Turning away, Stella exited the room, leaving Vestello alone with KL-33N.
Vestello looked at the hovering machine, at a loss. How was he supposed to give it orders if he couldn't talk?
KL-33N beeped.
"I have been uploaded with a sign language translator, specifically to help attend you."
Amber blinked. I wonder… He raised his hands.
[Your name: F-E-L-I-C?]
"Why yes, that's what my first master called me. Master Creed Peregrine."
Creed again…who is she, anyway?
"Do you have fossils that need cleaning?"
Vestello started. Oops, almost forgot. Nodding, he pulled out his case. Time to get to work.
But as he stared at the first fossil, his resolve faltered. Where do I begin?
"If I may, Master Vestello." Felic spoke up.
Lowering his hammer, Vestello turned to the machine, eyes questioning.
"It may help to find any buster points a fossil rock possesses first."
A frown settled over Vestello's face. [B-U-S-T-E-R P-O-I-N-T-S, what?]
"They are flaws in a fossil rock's surface. If you hit them in the right order large fragments of the rock will simply fall off." A pause. "However, most Fighters must use a Busterprobe to locate such flaws. Sometimes a buster point may be found accidently, but that doesn't happen very often."
Buster points, a flaw in the fossil… Regal's fossil rock came to mind. Is that what I did? Strike a buster point? Maybe…
He stared at the fossil rock with fresh eyes.
A flaw in the rock…there's one! The hammer head rose up, then slammed down and rock splintered like struck glass. There's the second… Again the hammer struck, the lattice work of cracks spreading, joining, then splitting apart as rock fell from white-bone like mud off a hill during a rain storm.
Holy-! The fossil-!
"Congratulations, young Master." Felic praised, examining the pristine bone. "My scanners tell me that this is a Raja Skull Fossil."
Raja? A soft chuckle. How ironic.
"Should I revive it for you now?"
A blink, then Vestello shook his head, blue hair whipping back-and-forth.
[First-finish.
Second-revive.] He signed.
"Very well then." With surprising ease for a robot with such spindly limbs, Felic picked up the fossil and moved it to the side.
The next fossil was even easier to clean because Vestello knew how to look for the buster points. It turned out to be another skull fossil, one for an avian vivosaur Felic called a thalasso. If Vestello remembered correctly it was derived from the dinosaur thalassodromeus, which meant 'sea runner' funnily enough. But back to the topic at hand.
Once Vestello finished brushing off lingering rock and dirt, it too was set aside for when he was finished cleaning.
It was the third fossil that got tricky.
I can't find any buster points. No, he was not panicking, he was merely concerned by the lack of exploitable flaws in the rock. Where could he start without any flaws to point out the start?
"Master-" Again Felic spoke up, surprisingly patient with Vestello's hesitance. "-might I recommend just getting started? The hard outer layer of stone will protect the fossil. You won't damage it with just one strike." A pause. "I must also remind you that there is a time limit for each fossil. If you don't clean it when time runs out then it will be confiscated."
Say what?
"Lack of space, you see. Right now we're between surges of Fighters, but when they start coming in we don't have enough places for them all to clean. Losing a fossil is incentive enough to make sure cleaning spaces are opened often enough that we don't get too backed up."
Ah, that makes sense. A grimace. Here it goes then.
And the hammer came down.
He only managed to get the fossil, a support fossil for aeros vivosaurs, to eighty percent quality. Not his proudest achievement, to be sure, but it could have been worse and things didn't exactly get better as he moved onto his other fossils. He lost two of his fossils, one to breaking and the other because he ran out of time.
It was quite stressful.
So it was with no small amount of trepidation that he stood over his last, and smallest, fossil rock. Taking a deep breath, he began to chip away at the stony shell.
Is that…green?
"Emerald discovered!"
Vestello jumped, having not seen Felic move to hover over his shoulder.
"It may fetch a high price at the Fighter's Guild, they're always looking for gems."
Always looking…this happens often? People can dig up precious stones, just like that? Wow…
"Now that you've cleaned all your fossils, I will now revive the two skulls you found." Again with surprising strength, Felic picked up the raja skull-fossil and supporting fossil then carried them towards the revival chamber.
/\/\/\
It certainly doesn't look like a 'Princely Lizard'. And from what he could pick up from the vivosaur, it didn't act all that princely either.
Regal was mortified.
Vicious was thrilled.
And they hadn't even 'met' the new addition yet.
Inside the chamber, the nine-meter-plus vivosaur shifted restlessly. Its low growls sent tremors through the floor as it looked back and forth impatiently for a long moment before finally dissolving into its Dino Medal form. Felic moved the thalasso skull into the chamber as Vestello approached the medal.
Remembering Leveche's warnings, he braced himself before gripped the medal.
Stone rumbled ominously, streaks of impatient scarlet splintering across red-orange hostility and expectancy.
Like an unstable pile of boulders, just waiting for that one trigger to bring it all crashing down. Vestello compared, both fascinated and wary. He had an idea for a name, but couldn't be sure until he saw it fight.
Two connections stirred at the prospect of battle. He didn't need to focus on them to know which they were. Regal was much more discreet.
A low croon and a soft rustling made Vestello turn back to the steamy revival chamber.
Like a ship's sails, blue leather spread out, filling the glass chamber. At least five meters from tip-to-tip, the tent-like wings suggested an owner of massive size but that implication was no more than an optical illusion. An illusion which was quickly shattered as the wings folded shut, talons clicking against metal. A long, almost raven-like head, topped with an impressive crest, rose up on the end of a flexible neck. It stood at almost twice an adult human's height yet had an almost frail build.
Glittering gemstone eyes surveyed the lab. Curious. Eager. Vestello could feel the tugs of a watery current, winding and spreading, but otherwise harmless. It felt a bit restless.
Of course it's restless. A smile formed as he approached the chamber. It's a creature of the sky, being in such a small container must be uncomfortable.
A flash, then a clatter sounded as he retrieved the medal, cementing his connection with the thalasso.
A mist of swirling, friendly yellows and greens on a sea of hopeful yellow, splashed faintly by wisps of questioning pale orange.
::Play? Stretch-wings/open-skies/chase-and-catch/freedom?::
Amber blinked. That's new, haven't felt a response like that before.
It was more image-and-impressions than words.
Calloused fingers traced the rim of the medal, feeling the little heartbeat pulse beneath his pads. ::Soon.:: An assurance. ::We'll play taunt-and-tease with others.::
More hopeful yellows welled up, swirling almost like a wind's currents, but heavier. Like mist.
Mist wisps of questioning spiraling-spinning-weaving pale orange.
::Soon play-fly-fun, promise?::
::Promise, Spirit.:: He felt surprise then intrigue then satisfaction before Spirit's link receded from his immediate awareness.
/\/\/\
I've never seen him before. Yarmilla studied wild blue lochs and the vibrant orange-and-brown jumpsuit. But then, there are lots of new people on the island now.
The boy stepped up to the counter and Yarmilla smiled. Time to get to work.
"Welcome to my shop!" A polite bow. "It's your first visit, right?"
A nod.
"Well then, lemme show you the ropes!" A broad sweep towards the merchandise-laden shelves. "We offer goods and services that no serious Fighter can afford to be without." She began listing off on her fingers. "We can upgrade your sonar and case, or even provide tools and other items used for cleaning."
The boy seemed to perk up a bit when he heard the bit about tools. Sorry kid, you probably won't be able to afford them for a while yet. Even with Jewel Rocks fairly common it still took a long time to get enough gold for the outrageous prices requested for tools.
"We'll also pay cash for spare fossil rocks or any other items you feel like parting with." Though fossils don't generally earn very much compared to what is needed for really good supplies and upgrades.
It was kind of a pity, really. Finding fossil rocks wasn't nearly as easy as most people seemed to assume it was. And with the Cup going on people, like the boy, were going to have very little time to earn the money for things he really needed.
"Okay, then!" She clapped her palms together. "Now that we're done with that, what can I do for you?"
The boy made some odd gestures with his hands, but didn't say a word.
Huh? "I'm sorry, what do you want?"
Another gesture, a sudden pause, and then a grimace crossed the boy's face followed by a sheepish smile. Reaching into a pouch he pulled out an emerald.
"You want to sell it?"
A nod.
Yarmilla took the precious stone and studied it critically. "I can pay you a thousand gold for this."
The boy jerked, warm brown—or was it amber?—eyes widening with surprise. He nodded his approval and Yarmilla quickly supplied the required amount of gold.
"Will there be anything else?"
Yet another nod, and then the boy reached around and dug into his backpack before pulling out…
A tablet computer? Why would he-?
With quick fingers, the boy typed something across the board before showing it to her.
[I WOULD LIKE TO UPGRADE MY SONAR, PLEASE.]
"Alright." A nod. "Your sonar can be fitted with upgraded parts that will improve its capabilities. Here-" She held out a menu. "-these are what I can offer, and how much they cost."
Tucking the tablet under one arm, the boy accepted the list, read its contents, and winced.
Sorry, kiddo. She really was, but rules were rules.
"As you can see, there are three kinds of sonar parts, and each one can be upgraded twice. But you have to install the first upgrade before the second!" A grimace. "…Company policy."
But the boy was nodding again, he understood.
"So then, which upgrade do you want?"
Two fingers tapped the 'Monitor Upgrades' selection.
"This upgrade enlarges your sonar's monitor and extends its fossil-rock-sensing range. You want it? It'll be eight-hundred gold."
The boy counted out the required amount and placed it and his sonar on the counter.
"Okay, I'll upgrade your sonar." Reaching beneath the counter, she pulled out her tool box. "Hold on a sec here…"
It was a simple process, one she had done dozens of times before, and was done in no time.
"It'll be a lot easier to find fossil rocks now, that's for sure." She pushed the sonar back across the counter. "Anything else you need?"
Amber eyes scanned over the menu, eyeing the prices and calculating what was and was not within immediate price range. Then he sighed, closed the menu, and shook his head.
Pocketing the sonar once more, the boy bowed politely, putting a hand to his mouth—palm-to-lips—and then pulled it away.
Wait a moment, I recognize that one. Her brows furrowed. Doesn't that mean 'thank you' in sign-
"Hey, wait a sec."
The boy paused mid-step, glancing back at her questioningly.
"Your name wouldn't be 'Vestello' by any chance, would it?"
A startled blink, then a nod.
"And you're sometimes called 'Harmattan'?"
Now the boy looked really surprised, but he nodded all the same.
"In that case, I have something here for you." As the boy re-approached the counter, Yarmilla pulled a box off the bottom shelf. "It got shipped over earlier today. All I was told was that it was for a mute boy named Vestello." Cardboard met countertop and Yarmilla pushed it towards the teenager.
Curious, Vestello opened the top and they both looked in.
A folded note saying 'for Vestello', some kind of gauntlet, a hip holster, and a pouch. What's all this?
Vestello looked just as confused as he unfolded the note—
-blinked, and scanned it again.
"What is it?"
He passed her the note.
Harmattan,
In this box are several things I think
you will need. First is a Dino Medal gauntlet,
you can use it to carry your immediate team.
It's what I used when I first became a fighter,
but I don't need it anymore.
The second is a holster for your Dino Medals
Personally, I prefer to carry my vivosaurs
on my person at all time, the holster is
in case you feel the same way.
The pouch has enough gold for you to buy
the second monitor upgrade for your sonar
and the first upgrade for your Fossil Case, and a single
Fossil chip. All are a must haves for Fighters.
I know how hard it is to get money for the upgrades,
especially during a tournament such as the Cup,
so I thought I'd give you some help.
Leveche
Yarmilla blinked, re-read the note, and then picked up the pouch. Just as it had said, the pouch was filled with gold.
Vestello coughed once into his hand, then tapped the menu, the note, and pulled out his sonar again. He didn't need to speak to make his intent clear. Yarmilla set about adding the upgrades, feeling more than a little dazed as she did so.
/\/\/\
"Ooh, he's so dreamy! All mysterious and smoldering and stuff…"
O…kay… Vestello blinked at the large crowd gathered by a ledge above the lake.
"Well, crud. I didn't expect to see him in the Cup. This is going to make it harder to win, that's for sure."
Now he was curious. Is it Saurhead? Leveche mentioned he had a bunch of rabid fans that followed him whenever he went out in public.
"Hey, Vestello." Todd ran over as Vestello approached. "Did you hear? Rupert is entered in the Cup!" A bright grin. "That's right. The Rupert!"
Amber blinked slowly, a blank look glossing over them.
[R-U-P-E-R-T, who?]
You'd think I'd just asked what a vivosaur was. He mused, watching Todd's posture stiffen with outrage.
"How can you not know who Rupert is?" Todd hissed, swelling indignantly, winding up for one of his rants—
-Stopped, glanced over his shoulder, and promptly forgot that he was angry.
"They're just about to start a TV interview with Rupert now." Snatching Vestello's wrist, he dragged the bluenette into the crowd.
"Good morning. I'm Linda R. Porter, reporting for Calisteo TV." A friendly-faced woman in a blue dress spoke into the mic. "With the Caliosteo Cup under way, we have an exclusive interview with one of the Fighters."
She turned to the crowd. "This undefeated child prodigy is on a stunning run of victories across multiple Fossil Fighting tournaments. He's also the heir to a multinational corporation that produces a wide range of goods for Fighters. It's the prince of FossilDig, Inc. and the talk of every Fighter in town! Ladies and gentlemen…"
Vestello crept closer, when a sudden, faint pulse inside his chest froze him in place. What…
"Say hello to Rupert Faro!"
Aloof pale-gold stared out from beneath long silvery bangs.
"Rupert, let's get right to it." Linda approached him. "Do you feel confident about winning the Caliosteo Cup?"
Another pulse, a sense of pressure fell over Vestello's shoulders. Noticeable, but nowhere near as attention-grabbing as Joe's had been.
How did I not notice him before? Vestello wondered, eyeing the expensive red tailcoat and immaculate white and red petticoat breeches. He thought he could vaguely remember watching a few tournaments on TV with Rupert as a participant, but he had always been more interested in the vivosaurs than the Fighters themselves…
"Oh yes, quite." Pale hair dipped, gold gaze focused on Linda and no one else. "There's little point in entering a competition if one does not expect to win."
Dark brows furrowed at the mechanical-sounding words. That sounded rehearsed…or echoed.
"Spoken like a true champion." Linda straightened again. "There is little doubt this young competitor has sipped oft from the cup of victory."
That sounded so corny. Was it a requirement for reporters to practice bad poetry?
"Were any other Fighter to say as much, we might accuse them of hubris." A sunny grin. "But from Rupert, it is fact. Will this title come to him as have all the others? Or will a new hero emerge to challenge the boy genius?"
Uh-oh, Todd's going all starry-eyed again… The stirrings of an idea began to tug at his mind. Hm, that might be fun…
"One thing is clear: all eyes will be on the Caliosteo Cup!" A pause. "Oh, and we've been asked by the organizers to pass a message along to our viewers." Linda gave the camera a stern look. "Despite his fame, at the end of the day, Rupert is still a competitor entered in the Cup. Though you may be smitten-"—Vestello almost snorted, almost.—"-by his roguish charm, please do not mob him or try to steal locks of his hair."
Vestello paused, checked his memory to be sure he had heard correctly, then winced in sympathy.
Ouch.
Rabid fans were the worst, he'd seen enough of them on television and heard Leveche's own accounts of them.
"Any entrants found to be annoying Rupert in such a manner may be subject to disqualification." Linda's face brightened again. "And that's all the time we've got. For Caliosteo TV, this is Linda R. Porter saying good day, and good fortune."
"…Idiocy."
A blink, Vestello shook his head and checked his verbal memory. Yes, that had been Rupert, though it didn't seem like anyone else had heard the agitated whisper. Nor did they seem to notice as the silver haired boy slipped away down the hill towards the lake.
The television crew packed up and left and the crowd dispersed. There were some disappointed mutterings when some noticed that Rupert had already left, but other than that nothing happened. In moments Todd and Vestello were alone on the ledge.
Todd pumped the air. "Oooo! I'd like to chase after Rupert and see if he's really all that!"
Vestello cocked his head, the meanest little idea crossing his mind. Smiling he edged over, bumping Todd's shoulder, jerking his chin downhill where Rupert had gone.
Here fishy, fishy, fishy…
Todd glanced where he had directed, then at the Dino Medal now flitting across Vestello's fingers. Blue eyes brightened.
"Hey, yeah! They said not to annoy him, but they didn't say we couldn't challenge him to a battle!"
Vestello nodded, grinning.
"Sweet! I'm going for it!" And down the hill he ran.
Hook, line, and sinker.
"Wish me luck!"Todd called over his shoulder.
Vestello flipped a lazy wave, suppressing a smirk. Wonder how he'll manage…probably not very well.
Leveche hadn't been too off in her assessment on Todd. He wasn't ready to be a serious Fighter yet. Hopefully his little venture will teach him something before the first rounds began.
A tiny flicker of guilt tugged at him. He sighed. I better make sure he doesn't hurt himself.
He found them on a small peninsula overlooking the lake.
"Hey! What say you and me have a good old-fashioned Fossil Battle?" Todd almost bounced in place, as usual. "You know that excited feeling you get when you meet a tough Fighter? Well, I have it!"
A wince. That sounded almost as bad as Linda's reporter poetry.
"You like Fossil Battles, and you know that feeling. So let's have some fun!"
Silver hair shook back and forth. "Please go amuse yourself elsewhere. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you."
Ooh, burned, again. Vestello cringed with both sympathy and amusement at Todd's expression
But Rupert wasn't done yet. Another pulse resounded through Vestello's frame and the sense of pressure on his shoulders got a little more intense.
"'Let's have fun'? 'Excited feeling'? Such disgusting treacle is enough to make my porridge come up!" The other teenager all but sneered. "Frankly, I abhor having to associate with Fighter's such as yourself." A scoff. "If you wish to face me in a Fossil Battle, you must win your way to my standing in the tournament. Of course…" A shrug. "There's no chance of that happening. Now run along and take your sad vivosaurs with you."
Despite the phrasing, that last bit didn't seem like an insult. It was more like, a hint of pain-at-seeing-others-in-pain? And how could he (Vestello) even guess that it was such?
"Wh-what?" Todd sputtered, swelling up. "How dare you! You don't have any idea how talented I am!"
Uh-oh, here we go. Maybe baiting Todd into challenging Rupert hadn't been such a wise idea after all. Maybe he should have tried matching him with a weaker Fighter?
Todd stepped forward, spine rigid and fists clenched. "I think you're just chicken! Baaawk bawk bawk!"
It's like watching a Chihuahua bark at an American Shepherd…or a wolf.
Gold eyes flashed with annoyance, a huff sounding as Rupert seemed to restrain the urge to grind his teeth. Instead, he shook his head and shrugged. "So you demand satisfaction, do you?" A sigh. "Very well. If it will keep you from stalking me in the future…"
Oooh, that was not sarcasm.
Todd, however, didn't seem to realize that the last sentence was not an insult and he swelled up even more.
"Once I show you what a true Fossil Battle is like, you can run home and tell Mommy all about it."
Okay, that was an insult.
The battle was short, sweet, and painful.
Todd's stego, a wind-type vivosaur, versus Rupert's raja, an earth-type, and another vivosaur Vestello hadn't recognized. One attack, Rupert won with a single attack, and had taken no damage even though he had given Todd the first move. And his second vivosaur had seemed to be there simply for show.
Ouch. Vestello grimaced as Todd's knees buckled and collapsed.
"I lost." A stunned whisper. "I lost a lot."
"Truly pathetic." Rupert scoffed, catching his raja's medal. "Are you even paying attention to the elemental type of your vivosaur?"
"Elemental type?"
Vestello refrained, barely, from palming his face. Of the two of them Todd was the vivosaur-fanatic, yet he didn't even know something that…that basic?
"Oh, this is indeed sad." Rupert sighed. "To think that a Fighter who knows nothing about elemental types…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "Oh, very well. Pay attention!" He held up a gloved hand. "There are five elemental types: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Neutral. Every vivosaur has one such type. Excluding Neutrals, all types hold an advantage and a weakness against other types. For example—" He shot Todd a bland look. "—the Air type is strong against Water, but weak against Earth. If a vivosaur attacks when it has an elemental-type advantage, it inflicts greater damage upon its foe."
He doesn't speak like a teenager. Vestello noted. More like an intelligent, socially inept adult, but he's good at giving technical lectures. At least Todd seemed to be following what the silver haired teen was saying anyway.
"My raja is an Earth-type. So were you a clever Fighter, you would have targeted my Water-type Mapo." Well, that explained what that second vivosaur had been. "Additionally, your Stego is a Mid-Range-class vivosaur. Mapo was at a range at which your vivosaur could have been more affective. Not that any of this matters." A shrug. "I still would have crushed you in the end."
Well that explained it. Rupert had been testing Todd. He had probably known that Todd wasn't strong enough yet to beat even one of his vivosaurs, so he set up the battle to see if Todd had any familiarity with the finer details of Fossil Battling.
…And that Pressure Rupert was giving off now seemed to be pulling Vestello over—
"Oh, come now." The poor boy looked exasperated. "What is this nonsense? Must I truly battle every slack-jawed yokel who slinks into view?"
Oops. Snapping out of it, Vestello backed up to a polite distance. Not that it seemed to satisfy Rupert any.
"Enough! I'll not spend one more second on this madness. I say good day, sir!"
Spinning around, he stalked away, coat tails trailing after him like the tail of an offended cat, or wolf. After he was gone…
Ow… Tenderly, Vestello massaged his inner ears in the wake of Todd's angry howl.
"I've lost plenty of times-" Todd fumed, leaping to his feet. "—but I've never been this angry about it! That's it, Vestello!"
A blink and the blunette made a 'who, me?' gesture.
"We have to win our way through the Cup together!" Pausing, Todd ground his teeth nosily. "We have to take down that Rupert jerk, no matter what!"
Ho-boy, note to self: don't set Todd up for a battle again.
All the same, he jumped and pumped the air when Todd did.
Then the pagers around their necks beeped.
"Round 1 of the Caliosteo Cup will now begin. See the message board in front of the Fossil Center to find out which brackets you will be competing in, and who your opponent will be. Prepare yourselves and when it is time for your match, be sure to check in at Ribular Town's Fossil Stadium."
/\/\/\
From: Leveche
Subject: Fighter Affinities
Only those most devoted to their vivosaurs and their status as Fossil Fighters will develop a noticeable affinity. A Fighter Affinity is actually more to do with their basic nature than anything else. For example, Joe Wildwest is a very patient fighter and, though he may not look it, very clever and manipulative. He is very good at finding a weak point in a target and then shattering it. Word of warning: Don't make him mad. Admittedly it is a very difficult to do, but once he loses his temper it's like trying to stand against an avalanche.
Experienced and powerful Fighters also give off a sort of aura other people can pick up, which is how we can identify what kind nature affinity they have. You know the impressions your vivosaurs give off when you communicate with them? It's a lot like that. Without it, it would be just as easy to say that Joe had a nature like a water vivosaur, or an air one. It's that core sense one gets when near him, that resting-against-a-solid-pillar feeling that tells us he's earth.
Yes, I have an affinity. Two in fact. Wind and Fire, in a fight I prefer to avoid blows if possible and strike from behind, but when something stands in my way I raze it to the ground, as Bartholomew Bullwort can attest to. Heh. Anyway, I won't describe my affinity to you further because, since it's me, I have a biased and pretty unfocused view. If you'd prefer, you could talk to some of my friends for a better, clearer description. I've been told that I'm very skilled at misdirecting my opponents, but I'm not sure myself.
Yes, you have an affinity, a duel one like myself. You favor Wind and Earth, meaning you're patient, observant and wait for just the right moment to act while at the same time you're playful and enjoy causing mischief when you see an opportunity. It's also why I call you Harmattan sometimes. A harmattan is a dust-laden wind that blows from east-to-west across the Sahara desert. And before you ask, Leveche is a hot wind, also from the Sahara desert, which is known to stir up high waves and sudden squalls when it reaches the ocean.
Generally a Fighter's affinity doesn't affect how they can use their vivosaurs, just their style of fighting. However, some have been known to favor one elemental type of vivosaur and neglect using the others, which is stupid in my opinion because it leaves you very vulnerable in a fossil battle. Someone using an all earth team, for example, can easily be slaughtered by a fighter with just one skilled fire vivosaur.
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From: Harmattan
Subject: Updates
The fossil battles here are so different from what I saw in the preliminaries. The vivosaurs are stronger and a whole lot smarter. My new tricera, Regal, almost got trampled by a raja. There was a light in its eyes I haven't seen on anything but my own vivosaurs, and they lacked that stiff robotic-movement the prelim vivosaurs had. Do you have any idea why they're so different?
I met an old friend of yours. Felic, the KL-33N robot, he's real helpful and has given me loads of good advice. He said he used to belong to a Fossil Fighter named Creed Peregrine and that she's where he learned most of what he knows. Can you tell me anything about her?
You made it sound like cleaning fossils was as easy as breathing, but it's really hard. I broke two fossils I was trying to clean- two!-and if it wasn't for buster points I'd have done even worse! Fortunately none of the fossils were below eighty percent, but still… I think my main problem is I'm afraid of hitting the fossil if I can't find any buster points. I just…freeze up.
Finally, why'd you buy me a Fossil Chip and upgrades? I'm grateful and everything, but they're expensive. And thanks for the Dino Medal holster and gauntlet. The gauntlet was your first one? It looks almost brand new! The holster will be very helpful, Vicious and Regal don't like the idea of being stored in a VMM machine and I don't have sleeve-pockets like you do.
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To the anonymous Guest: I never tried to make Creed's identity secret, at least from my readers. To Vestello on the other hand… Anyway, were you referring to Glyph and Creed's taming of him in Dark Horse Gambit? I confess your phrasing puzzles me a bit.
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Reviews are always appreciated. They let me know my story is not simply collecting virtual dust. And by reviews I mean something a bit more than 'awesome story' or the like. Tell me what you enjoyed, and even what you did not (though please refrain from going on a tangent).